


The Time of Our Lives

by kitty22803



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2020-06-30 02:03:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 40,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19843264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitty22803/pseuds/kitty22803
Summary: Peter Parker, a sweet nerd from Queens, has taken up residence at one of the greatest schools in the world, MIT. When he meets fellow student Michelle Jones, will it be love at first sight?





	1. Moving Day

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, people! I've been wanting to write an AU for Peter/MJ for a while now, and it's finally happening! Obviously, we're ignoring everything that's ever happened in the MCU (looking at you, _Endgame_ and _Far From Home_ ). I was actually going to include Tony in this (minus Iron Man, but everything else would've been the same), but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I get really attached to fictional characters, and there were way too many tears every time I tried to write him in, so I don't think we're getting Tony Stark up in here. Sorry. Also, letting you guys know, close this tab now if you're uncomfortable with some bad language. I didn't think it should be mature because mostly all teens have either heard or said lots of curse words before they've even gotten out of middle school (I should know, I am one), but feel free to leave now if you don't like that. That said, I hope everyone enjoys reading this!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and Ned move into their dorm at MIT.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Are you excited? I'm really excited. Alright, let's do this.  
> On with the show!

"Hey, May, where did you put my Midtown sweatshirt?" Peter yelled down the hall.

It was moving day. Peter was officially going to be a college student at his dream school, MIT. He was going to meet his childhood best friend Ned at their shared dorm in a few hours. It was a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Queens to the university, and Peter still wasn't finished packing.

The door swung open, and his aunt, May, walked in and threw his sweatshirt at him.

"Hey, are you almost done packing?" she asked.

"Yeah," he answered, "I just have to pack my bedsheets, and then we can go."

"Awesome." May stepped forward and pulled him into a hug. "I can't believe you're going to college! It feels like you and Ned were ten years old just yesterday." She squeezed him even tighter and kissed the top of his head.

Peter laughed. "Oh my god, May, we're literally going to be, like, three hours away. I'll visit a lot, I promise."

May mockingly gave him a stern look. "You better." She pulled away and ruffled his hair. "Okay, get this done, and we'll go drive up there."

Peter sighed as he bent down to pick up his bedsheets from the floor and drop them into their designated box. He headed into the bathroom and gathered his things, like his electric toothbrush and his toothpaste. He went back into his room to find his suitcase and shoved the items into the little front pocket. He then called out, "Hey, May, I'm done packing! Are you ready to go?"

She yelled back, "That's good! Grab the keys; you're driving. I'm going to take a nap."

Peter smiled, shaking his head. He was going to miss May when he was gone. "Yeah, okay. Be right out." He gathered his two sad boxes and his suitcase and went out into the living room, where May was standing. She tossed him the keys, and he was able to barely catch them, despite all the stuff in his hands.

"Let's go, hon. We've got places to be," May said as she waltzed through the door.

"Whoa, I can't carry all this stuff, May. A little help?"

"Oh, right! Ha, sorry, I kind of forgot you're moving." May frowned. "Ugh, you should just stay here."

"May," Peter groaned, "you can't keep me here forever. I'm grown now!"

"Bullshit." May rolled her eyes and smirked. "You were over at Ned's place the other day to build his new Lego set."

"Details. Now, please, can you help me? I'm struggling a little, and we're supposed to get to MIT in, like, four hours. You know how traffic gets."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm just gonna miss you." May wrapped him up in another hug. "I larb you so much." Peter smiled; it was a bit of an inside joke from Peter's high school days. May continued, "If you don't visit, I'm going to come up there and drag you here. Got it?" Her voice cracked, and Peter noticed her eyes welling up with tears. She wiped them away and squished him until he couldn't breathe.

"Aw, May, you know I'll come to visit. Please don't cry because then _I'll_ cry." Peter slowly pried himself from her grip and smiled at her. He then grabbed the suitcase, wheeled it over. and gave her the handle, then picked up the boxes to carry himself. "Come on, the road trip's going to be so much fun."

* * *

Peter jammed his key into the keyhole and turned it. After four long hours (traffic was truly his worst enemy), they'd finally made it to his dorm. He swung the door wide open and was met with the sight of Ned trying to stuff an oversized futon and a mini-fridge under his lofted bed.

Ned turned around and grinned. "Dude! You're here!" He rushed over and nearly knocked Peter over in a gigantic hug. He spotted May in the doorway. "Hey, May!" he greeted her before turning back to Peter. The two did their handshake (of course).

Peter told Ned, "Sorry it took so long. Traffic was hell."

"Nah, it's all good. I've just been getting my side of the room ready. My parents just left." He then gestured his crowded side of the room, saying, "How does it look?"

Peter raised his eyebrows at the clutter. "Uh, great, Ned. Not gonna lie, though, you may have overdone it with the futon."

Ned pretended to be offended and pressed a hand to his chest. "Ow. I spent a lot of time looking on eBay for that thing. It's brand new."

Peter raised his hands in defeat and laughed. "Okay, okay, I was just saying. Anyway, May and I are going to set up my side, and we'll officially be moved in." He moved to get his boxes, and May wheeled in his suitcase. Peter began to unpack his boxes and pull out his things—admittedly, his stuff was a lot less plentiful than Ned's. He took out a small, fluffy area rug and laid it on the floor neatly. May started to pull on his bedsheets (because god knows Peter couldn't do it to save his life), and Ned helped her to tug one of the ends over a corner.

Soon enough, Peter's side was fully set up. There was a small whiteboard above his bed with a corkboard attached to it (to it was pinned the roommate contract they had written up last week). There a cozy chair with a throw blanket over it (obviously picked out by May—items of her taste were scattered throughout Peter's side of the small dorm) under his lofted bed, as well as a little stand (that he'd built himself) with a microwave sitting on top of it.

May clasped her hands together. "That's it! We're done! You boys are officially moved in." She pulled them both in for a group hug. "You guys are growing up so fast. I can't believe I have to let you go." Both Peter and Ned hugged back, not wanting to let go. She continued, "When you're back in town, we'll all get Thai together. Yeah?" They both nodded, and they all parted. May kissed Peter's forehead and ruffled his hair. "Be good, kid. Don't do anything stupid, especially if it's illegal. If you're going to do something stupid, call me, and I'll _tell_ you how to do it without getting caught. Same goes for you, Ned."

She then walked out with her back facing the door, blowing a kiss toward both of them, and she shut the door.

Peter then turned toward Ned and grinned. "Dude. We're going to have a fucking awesome time," he said, and he raised his hand for a high-five, which Ned enthusiastically returned.

Ned replied, "It's the time of our lives, baby."

* * *

Peter and Ned were already tired of living without any parental supervision.

"Dude, we're already out of ramen again," Ned groaned.

Peter popped his head out from under the covers. "Seriously? I just went to Wegmans, like, this Monday. It's... what, Thursday today?"

Ned grimaced. "Yeah, that's not great. Maybe we should fix that...?"

"Yeah, no shit. I hate this. Maybe we should just smuggle May here. She totally wouldn't mind." Peter put his face in his hands and moaned, "She was so right. I'm _definitely_ not grown. I hate living alone."

"Well," Ned began, "hopefully, by the time school actually starts, we'll be in a constant state of despair, so we won't even _worry_ about food anymore because of our perpetual sadness."

Peter glared and retorted sarcastically, "Yeah, that'll solve all our problems." Suddenly, he flung off his covers and leaped down from the bed (without using the ladder—Peter was agile like that), gathering his wallet and room keys. "Ned, we're going shopping. Don't give me that look; I know you ate most of the ramen, and you definitely don't have anything going on."

"Or, you know, we could actually go to the dining hall," Ned suggested, "you know, like _literally everyone else."_

"Dude, you know we have limited swipes, and the semester hasn't even begun, yet. If you want, you can go there, but I'm not going to. Don't expect me to give you my swipes when you run out. Besides, stop complaining! You're the one eating all my ramen!" Peter was frazzled, to put it lightly.

Ned rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll go with you. God, you're such a dramatic bitch, Peter." He stood up off his futon and headed to the door with Peter.

When Ned reached for the handle and twisted it, pulling the door open, he revealed two girls trying (and miserably failing) to fit a mini-fridge through the doorway. One of the girls had extremely fair skin and bleach blonde hair and was very short and petite. The other had dark skin and wild, loose brown curls that reached the middle of her back and was even taller than Peter (not that that was an accomplishment—Peter was a little vertically challenged).

Peter and Ned both almost had heart attacks; they knew the building was co-ed, but they thought their whole floor would be boys. Despite going through four years of high school, Peter and Ned had little to no luck with the ladies; Peter had gone through one ( _very_ one-sided) long-term relationship with a certain Felicia Hardy for about a year, and Ned had kissed exactly two girls (one because of a dare, and one because of a _slight_ misunderstanding—no need for an explanation).

However, Peter was still able to speak up—possibly due to Felicia's vigorous ( _extremely_ passive-aggressive) boyfriend training—and say calmly, "Uh, do you guys need help?"

The blonde whipped her head around to look at who had just spoken. "Yes, yes, _please,"_ she begged, "I am so tired of this." She waddled over with the mini-fridge, dragging her poor friend along.

Ned gave Peter a panicked look as if silently saying, _Dude, what the fuck? Since when do we talk to girls and help them carry their mini-fridges into their dorms?_

Peter shrugged; it looked like the girls needed help. He continued out loud, "Uh, Ned, you did this with your parents, right? How did you get your fridge inside?"

Ned looked like a deer caught in headlights, but he managed to let out a full sentence. "Um... I just turned it over and carried it? Yeah, yeah, that's what happened." He nodded repeatedly until Peter literally had to place a hand on top of his head to stop him.

Peter turned around and awkwardly smiled at the girls before going to go pick up the fridge from the floor. He was able to easily lift it and waved off Ned when he tried to help; that would just make it harder to get it through the doorway.

Once he'd placed it near one of the desks, Peter turned around and gave the girls two thumbs up. "Alright, not bad. Do you guys need anything else? We have to get to Wegmans, so..." He motioned his hands toward Ned and the door.

The girl with the curly hair, who hadn't spoken until now, quietly said, "Uh, thank you. For two people going to MIT, Betty and I are honestly the worst at problem-solving sometimes." She laughed awkwardly.

The blonde—no, Betty—scoffed at her friend. "Ouch, MJ. I don't know about you, but on any regular day, I'm _great_ at problem-solving. I'm just tired today; I've been up since three and I've been running on coffee _and only coffee_ for the past week."

Ned finally got the courage to use his words. "Oh, girl, same. Coffee is my life." He raised his hand for a fist bump, which Betty returned, grinning at him.

Peter asked, "So, your names are... Betty and MJ?" He pointed at the two as he said the names, respectively.

MJ spoke up, "Nope. Michelle. You have to earn 'MJ'. It's an exclusive club."

Peter raised his eyebrows; she just stared him down until he had to look away. He raised his hands defensively. "Okay! Michelle. Got it. Nice to meet you guys." He reached out for a handshake. Michelle just eyed his hand with disgust, but Betty took it confidently. "I'm Peter, and this guy is Ned." Peter jerked his thumb at Ned, who was currently occupied with staring at Betty; someone had a crush. Peter lightly poked Ned in the arm.

Ned shook his head to clear it. "Oh! Yeah, uh... nice to, um, meet you guys," he stammered out. He wrung his hands and burned holes into his Vans with his eyes.

Betty broke the awkward silence. "So, what are you two majoring in?"

Peter answered for Ned (he was currently incapable of speaking), "Ned's doing computer engineering. I'm pre-med, so I'm doing biomedical engineering."

Betty replied, "Oh, cool! I'm doing computer engineering too!" Ned looked at her as if she were a goddess, and he worked up the nerve to smile at her.

Michelle then said to them, "I'm, uh, _also_ majoring in biomedical engineering and doing a minor in psychology."

Peter nodded and was actually really impressed; he knew from experience that getting into biomedical engineering at MIT was insanely difficult. _And she's doing a minor in psych!_ he thought to himself. He then spoke out loud, "Oh, so we probably have some of the same classes, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, probably. Let me pull up my schedule."

Michelle took out her phone and held it up to her face to unlock it. Peter did the same and waited for her. Betty and Ned had the same exact thought and were already showing each other their schedules and pointing at each other's phones.

"Ned! We have General Chemistry and Calculus II together!" Betty squealed, "Oh my god, we should study together." Ned just nodded and smiled.

Peter then added, "Hey, Michelle and I have those classes together, and I know for a fact that Ned and I are in those together. Oh my god, are we going to be a squad?"

Michelle gave him a side-eye. "Whoa, there, tiger. We've known each other for, like, ten minutes."

"And it's been a great ten minutes! Come on, we helped you move your fridge!"

She rolled her eyes but smiled all the same. "It seems we have Introduction to Programming together, too. And you don't have Ned or Betty, so get ready, buttercup." She playfully shoved his shoulder; he has to admit his ears got a little red.

Betty then told them, "I think Ned and I have that with a different professor, but we can still all study together because it'll be the same material. This is definitely a squad, MJ." She high-fived Ned, and an instant bond could be seen forming between the two.

Peter then glanced at the time on his phone. "Oh, shit. Ned, we have to get to Wegmans. Betty, Michelle, it was great meeting you guys. Squad meetings are every Tuesday (insert a mocking glare from Michelle), so don't be late. Okay, bye, the ramen calls!"

On that note, Peter and Ned picked up their wallets and Peter's keys from the floor where they had been discarded and headed out of the girls' dorm. Ned turned back around and waved at Betty, who blushed a pretty pink.

 _Yeah, that's definitely happening soon,_ Peter thought.

* * *

Peter was pushing the cart through the many aisles of Wegmans—specifically the aisle with ramen, at the moment—with Ned trailing close behind.

"—And she's so pretty, man! I've never met anyone so pretty who was even remotely interested in carrying a conversation!" Ned would not stop talking about their new friend, Betty. "Like, wow, who knew someone like that would _ever—"_

"Ned. Shut up. I'm so glad that you've found your soulmate, or whatever, but honestly I'm tired of it," Peter said in a monotone voice.

"Ouch. Also, speaking of which, what was that with Michelle, dude?"

"Um, what do you mean?" Peter bent down to look for his usual soy sauce.

"Like, I got _major_ vibes from her, man. It was crazy seeing you two talk. And she called you 'tiger' and 'buttercup'... like, what the fuck is that?"

"It was nothing! She was just teasing. No harm done. I'm done talking about it, Ned." Peter waved off his best friend and continued his search for soy sauce.

"Uh, okay." Ned rolled his eyes, sighing at Peter's stupidity.

"Hey, I saw that. Keep the attitude to yourself, buddy."

Ned scoffed. "Why are you literally like my dad sometimes?"

"Well, someone has to parent you."

Ned opened his mouth in hurt. "You bitch!" He then burst into giggles, which soon overtook Peter as well.

The two boys continued to bicker and laugh as they went down the aisle, completely forgetting about the original topic of conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We made this happen! I hope you guys liked it! By the way, the scene with Peter jumping off his lofted bed without using the ladder is just him showing off—he doesn't have powers (as I said in the tags above). Also, a reference to the comics is MJ's minor, actually: in the comics, at some point, Mary Jane Watson goes to college and majors in psychology. Just a fun fact! I was actually considering making Peter's major biophysics like in the comics, but I decided not to because MIT only has a graduate degree for that, not undergraduate (going for accuracy, kids—way too much research went into this). Anyway, kudos and comments are always appreciated!  
> ~kitty22803


	2. Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter, Ned, Michelle, and Betty adjust to college and life away from home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! My head is full of ideas for this, so we're going to take advantage of that while we can. Summer is almost over for me, but I'm confident that I'll be able to do a lot now that my writer's block is gone. Also, one other thing: Michelle's point of view is in here briefly, and her name will change to MJ (in narration, at least—obviously, if she's talking to Ned or Peter, they'll call her Michelle, not matter who's point of view it is) when that happens. Okay, here we go. Enjoy!  
> On with the show!

Peter jolted awake to his ear-damaging, grating phone alarm. He wanted to throw it against a wall (but May would kill him, so he used self-restraint).

Ned groaned, "Shit, Peter, what time is it?"

Peter forced his eyes open and reached down to grab his phone off his desk. He complained, "It's eight. Ugh, why did I sign up for a morning class, on Mondays, of all days? I hate myself." He buried his face into his hands and sighed dramatically.

"Hey, I told you not to do it, but you were all like, 'Oh, Ned, I'm _so_ good at waking up in the morning. It's not like I sleep at three in the fucking morning and wake up at two in the afternoon every day,'" Ned mocked.

Peter shoved his face into a pillow and flipped off Ned. Instead of actually getting ready, Peter chose to snooze the alarm and sleep for some more time. He'd just skip his shower; besides, he'd already taken one the night before because Ned had somehow managed to spill coffee on his head (it involved Ned accidentally knocking over a cup while in his bed onto Peter, who had been lounging on Ned's futon—most conveniently located _right_ below Ned).

When Peter's alarm went off for the fifth time, he finally threw the covers off and started his descent down the ladder. Of course, he ended up regretting that because he was only in boxers and was shivering like crazy.

He pulled on one of his nerdy science shirts May liked to make fun of and headed out of their dorm and into the only single-use bathroom on the floor (possibly the only good thing about waking up so damn early) to quickly brush his teeth and wash his face. (Ned thought skincare was a waste of time, but May had taught Peter the virtues of a simple face wash years ago.) He was half-asleep and nearly fell asleep with his toothbrush hanging from his mouth, but after splashing cold water on his face, he was awake and alert—well, as much as one could be at eight-thirty in the morning.

Once he was finished, he gathered up his toothbrush and toothpaste, as well as his trusty Neutrogena face wash ("It's men's face wash!" Peter would always tell Ned, "May bought it, and I like it. Shut up.") and headed to the door. As he swung the door open, he was met with a very tired Michelle Jones, whose fist was raised to knock on the door.

"Oh!" Peter exclaimed. "Hey, Michelle. Sorry, I'll get out of your way. Uh, do you have a morning class, too?"

"No, dumbass," she quipped, "I woke up this early because I _like_ it. God, do you even _know_ me?"

"Whoa, okay, someone's not a morning person. Also, no, I really _don't_ know you. We literally talked once, Michelle."

"Oh, what about our _squad connection?_ _"_

"Do _not_ joke about that. Our squad connection is deep, but it needs to be strengthened." Peter tried to maintain a serious face, but he couldn't hold in his giggles. Michelle just looked irritated. "Okay, okay, I'm going to go; you _clearly_ don't want me here right now."

"You're right. Your face is annoying as fuck. Also, what even is your shirt? _If you believe in telekinesis, please raise my right hand,"_ she read off his shirt, making a face. "That makes me want to throw up."

"Wow, I feel attacked. I'm leaving before you rip me apart." He stood to the side as she pushed past him into the bathroom, holding up her hand to flip him off. He slipped out of the bathroom and went back to his dorm.

He swung the door open after unlocking it, revealing a very tired Ned coming down from his bed. "Peter," Ned said, "your stupid alarm woke me up."

"Wow, okay," Peter replied, "why has everyone been hating on me today? I just ran into Michelle, and she totally went _ham,_ dude. You guys all need to chill the fuck out."

"We're _tired,_ Peter. Respect our need for sleep," Ned huffed.

"Hey! I'm tired, too, but I'm still pushing through because I'm not five." Peter rolled his eyes and turned away from Ned to look through his closet for something presentable to wear. He ended up keeping the shirt he currently had on, and he pulled on a pair of jeans, as well as a navy blue zip-up hoodie. Grabbing his bag that contained his books and laptop, he continued, "Whatever, man. I'm going to get to class now."

Peter sighed and headed out to the hallway so he could catch the bus in time. Unfortunately, he wouldn't have his own car until he went home again, but he'd already reserved a parking spot, thankfully. As he went to go press the down button for the elevator, another hand appeared and tried to do the same.

"Oh, sorry, Parker." It was Michelle. She was dressed in a tube top with blue, pink, white, and black stripes; a large orange Hawaiian with red flowers all over and blue flames at the bottom; and a pair of black jeans. Her hair was piled into a messy bun.

"Oh, hey, Michelle. What class are you going to?"

"Um, aren't we going to the same class? Intro to Programming, remember?"

"Oh, shit, that's _this_ class? I thought we had Chem together."

"We _do,_ but we have this, too. Wow, Parker. I feel ignored. What about our squad connection?"

"First of all, I never gave you my last name. Also, you have said that _twice_ in the past twenty minutes."

"Your name is on your door, stupid. And I will _never_ let the squad thing go."

There was a small _ding_ sound. _Saved by the elevator,_ Peter thought to himself. They both stepped inside, and Peter reached over to press the ground floor button.

He then asked, "What's _your_ last name?"

Michelle rolled her eyes so hard that Peter was worried about her health. She finally replied, "It's Jones. Don't forget it. Betty's is Brant—she's definitely the type to quiz you on facts about her." Peter's face morphed into one of panic, and she burst out laughing. "I'm kidding! Mostly. She's on steroids."

The elevator then stopped, and the doors opened.

"You getting the bus?" Peter asked as they walked to the bus stop.

Michelle nodded. "Yeah, my mom said I can't have a car until sophomore year because I'm on-campus anyway."

"I mean, that makes sense. May's going to take me to get one the next time I'm home. I've already bought a parking spot—which are crazy expensive, by the way—because they go quickly, so I needed to get one as soon as possible."

The bus pulled up at that moment, and the doors squeaked open. They got on and went to the first available seats. The bus was crowded, and all the students were crammed into the tight space; the concept of personal space was nonexistent.

Michelle and Peter gave each other uncomfortable looks that clearly read, _This is horrible._

It was the first day, and Peter was already done with college.

* * *

MJ sank down into one of the seats in the lecture hall. Right next to her, Peter dropped in and placed his backpack beside hers.

He smiled apologetically before telling her, "Sorry, I hope you don't mind me sitting here. I don't really know anyone here, so..."

She shrugged. "It's fine by me as long as you aren't an annoying little bitch."

"Ouch. I'm a great person to be around."

MJ made a disbelieving face, and Peter swatted her shoulder.

"Leeds is better than you, anyway. Now shut up, Parker." She gestured towards the professor at the front, who seemed to be getting ready to speak. "You wouldn't want to miss anything, would you?"

Peter flashed her a smile and laughed, rolling his eyes. He turned around in his chair, pretending to be overly attentive to the professor. "Speaking of which," he added, "I bet you twenty bucks that Betty and Ned will be together by the end of this week."

Although she gave him a side-eye and scoffed on the outside, she smiled to herself because—whether she'd admit it or not—Peter was already becoming a good friend. "Deal."

* * *

Peter opened his door quietly, not knowing whether Ned had gone to sleep again. After a long hour and a half of class, he and Michelle had finally escaped the wrath of Intro to Programming.

Ned interrupted his thoughts, "Hey, Peter! I invited Betty over; I hope that's okay with you."

Peter looked up to find Ned and Betty staring at Ned's laptop; they were clearly watching a movie and were cuddled up on Ned's futon. He replied, "Uh, yeah, sure, go ahead. What are you guys—"

The door flew open, revealing Michelle. _I guess I didn't close the door all the way,_ Peter thought to himself.

"Hey, do you know where Betty is?" she asked. Her eyes then drifted over to where Ned and Betty were sitting. "Oh, hey, Betty. I didn't realize you were here."

"Hi, MJ!" Betty replied, waving and smiling brightly. "Ned invited me over to watch _Solo._ I've always wanted to watch that, but you know about Mom and Dad's weird thing about Netflix. Sweet Ned here"—she kissed his cheek, much to the surprise of both Michelle and Peter (they knew it was bound to happen soon, but not _this_ soon)—"offered his account to watch it."

"Um," Peter began, "are you guys, like, together or something?"

Ned told him, "Oh, yeah, bro! After your alarm woke me up, Betty and I ran into each other in the hallway, and we got to talking. It turns out we have a lot in common! We're, like, dating now."

"Huh. I see that. Michelle, hand it over." Peter stuck out his hand, and Michelle groaned.

"Damn it, you guys," she complained. "If you had stuck it out another week, I could've gotten twenty dollars." She reached into her backpack, pulling out a wallet, and she dug through said wallet until she found a twenty-dollar bill. She slammed the bill into Peter's hand, and he grinned at her cheekily.

"Thank you _so_ much, my dear Michelle."

Michelle rolled her eyes ( _They're going to get stuck like that someday,_ Peter thought) and flipped him off. She turned to Peter. "Okay, how about we go to my dorm and hang out? Maybe we should leave the two _lovebirds_ alone?"

Peter let out a puff of laughter. "Yeah, sure, why not? Bye, you guys."

Ned said, "Bye, Pete. Bye, Michelle."

Michelle smirked at Peter before replying to Ned, "Leeds, you can call me MJ."

Peter's mouth dropped. He exclaimed, "Okay, that's just cruel! Is this all because of twenty dollars?"

Michelle lightly smacked him on the head. "Nah, this is just because of your annoying ass. Come on, let's go."

They continued to bicker as they walked out, oblivious to the knowing look Betty and Ned gave each other.

* * *

MJ closed the door behind her and turned to face Peter. They both parked themselves on the area-rug-covered floor. "Okay, I already know it," she declared, "They're definitely going to be that really gross couple that's always together and calls each other 'babe' unironically."

Peter pretended to retch. "Gross. It's definitely something Ned would do. This gives me flashbacks to his fifth grade 'girlfriend' that he held hands with _once."_

MJ laughed loudly, clutching her stomach. "And how long did _that_ relationship last?"

"Two hours," Peter said with a poker face.

They both managed to hold straight faces for approximately five seconds before bursting out into laughter.

MJ then asked, "Have you ever been in a relationship like that?"

Peter shook his head. "Nah. I _did_ have a girlfriend during the majority of junior year and the first few months of senior year, though. That was... not great." He frowned.

"Yikes. That doesn't sound good. What happened?"

"Well, it was homecoming during senior year, and we went back to her place after—her parents weren't home, you know, the whole thing—and we were in the middle of... well, you know... and I told her I loved her, like the idiot I am. She dumped me the next day."

Michelle winced. "Ouch. That's not great. Sorry about that."

"It's all good. That relationship was _so_ toxic. Felicia was _not_ good for me. May and Ned were gonna kick down her door and murder her when she broke up with me. It was hilarious."

MJ's mouth quirked up into a smile. "And May is...?"

"Oh, May's my aunt. She, uh, raised me from the age of six. My parents died in a plane crash."

MJ looked down at her hands and fidgeted. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay." There was an awkward pause before he continued, "Um... any serious relationships for you?"

"Uh, nope. I slept with some guy, Harry Osborn, once. I think he goes here, actually. I'm not sure, though; he went to a different school, and I never kept in touch."

You're fucking with me. Seriously? Harry Osborn?"

"Yeah, you know him?"

"Yeah, he went to my school! We were actually pretty close when we were little."

"Damn, really? What school did you guys go to?"

"Midtown Tech. Obviously, Ned went there, too. How about you guys?"

"Bronx School of Science. Same with Betty. Wow, we were only a half-hour away—without traffic, of course—from each other?"

"Oh, Bronx Science! I've been there for a visit. And damn, who knew we were so close to one another?" Peter bumped her shoulder with his before continuing, "I told you. The squad is meant to be."

Michelle shook her head, smiling. She then noticed a small keychain on Peter's backpack. "Uh, is that the bi flag on your keychain?"

Peter flushed and stammered out, "Um, yep. No bi-erasure, am I right?"

MJ paused; she sensed Peter was panicking a little. "Hell, yeah." She reached over to get the bi flag off her desk. "I'm bi, too."

Peter grinned and raised his hand for a high five, which she returned enthusiastically.

"When did you know?" she asked curiously.

"I think... it was seventh grade? Some guy kissed me on a dare, and I liked it a little too much."

MJ smirked at him. "I found out when my first celebrity crush was Jennifer Lawrence." She took the flag from Peter's hands and set it back on her desk. She paused before asking, "Are you out?"

He shook his head. "Only to Ned and May."

Just as Michelle was about to say something else, the lock on the door clicked, and Betty practically skipped inside their dorm.

She exclaimed, "Ned is so sweet! MJ, I'm literally dying."

MJ rolled her eyes. "Okay, Juliet, calm down." MJ stood up. "Peter, I'll walk you to your room."

* * *

Thirty seconds later, they were at Peter's door.

Michelle told him, "Okay, go talk to Ned. I'm sure he's exploding, just as Betty is."

"Ha, yeah, I'll go do that. Bye, Michelle. I'm glad we got to talk for a bit."

Michelle smiled softly before replying, "Peter? You can call me MJ."

Peter beamed at her, then unlocked his door. He slowly walked into the room, still facing MJ. "Bye, MJ."

Once he'd closed the door, he leaned against it and let out a shaky breath. He was just so happy; he couldn't explain why, but he knew it had something to do with his new friend across the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of chapter two! Hope you guys are enjoying this! Also, fun fact of the day: Peter's outfit that he wore to class is the same one he wore at the end of _Far From Home_ when they're at the Newark airport, and MJ's outfit is one of Zendaya's outfits on her new show _Euphoria_ , specifically in episode three. I will most likely base a lot of MJ's outfits off of Rue's (Zendaya's character) in the future, so make sure to look out for that! Kudos and comments are really appreciated! Until next time...  
> ~kitty22803


	3. We Grow Closer Every Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and MJ's friendship blossoms, while Ned and Betty find their way around their new relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, my friends, I'm back with another chapter. I'm so happy at the wonderful response I got from everyone! I didn't get many, but the comments I received were so sweet. I love you guys!  
> On with the show!

It had been almost three months since the fateful moving day, and the "squad" was closer than ever. They had all settled into life away from home, and it wasn't as hard as it had been a few months ago.

However, the four friends were already struggling at MIT. Within the three months, they had witnessed Peter almost have a mental breakdown over a PowerPoint presentation. Ned almost crashed Peter's silver 2007 model Toyota Camry into a bike rack. MJ and Betty were spotted crying while watching _Dirty Dancing_ on repeat (hey, life was hard). They'd kind of gotten used to seeing each other half-naked (while both MJ and Betty only saw Peter as a friend, they'd balked a little at the sight of his abs the first time); no one really even bothered to knock on doors at this point. (Unfortunately, Peter was still scarred after seeing Betty and Ned doing... well... but they'd gotten past that.) And of course, no one could ever forget the _incident:_ for reasons they vowed to never speak of, Peter had appeared in pink fluffy Hello Kitty pajama pants and cheap black flip-flops, as well as a tourist shirt displaying a yellow taxi cab and the words _I SURVIVED MY TRIP TO NYC_.

The four had become the best of friends. Of course, Ned and Betty's relationship was still going strong. (Just mere weeks ago, MJ and Peter had seen the first "I love you"s and almost lost their shit.)

Peter heard the door creak open. MJ called out to him, "Hey, Peter. Get your ass up."

Peter scrunched his eyes shut. It was still dark outside. "MJ, how the fuck did you get in here?"

"Betty and I still have your spare keys from that time we had to feed Monkey." Peter and Ned had brought another family member into their dorm: Monkey, their small, brown fish. They had asked MJ and Betty to feed him while they were down in Queens for a long weekend.

Peter groaned, "I regret giving you those. I demand a set of your keys, then. It's only fair. Now, _why_ are you here?"

"Betty won't go on a run with me—she _promised_ me, though—so I'm going to drag you along. You can probably keep up."

Peter then felt a hand smack him on the shoulder, _hard._ "Ow!" he cried, "That actually hurt. I'm being abused by one of my so-called 'best friends.'" He rolled over and saw MJ dressed in Nike shorts and a tank top. (Although it was November and they were in Massachusetts, it still hadn't snowed, and she would warm up during the run anyway.) He glared daggers at her.

"Toughen up, buttercup. Come on, let's go."

Peter rolled his eyes. "I don't have a choice, do I?" he asked in a monotone.

MJ replied cheerfully, "Nope!"

"Damn it, woman. Fine, I'm coming." Peter slipped out of his covers and climbed down the ladder. Once he'd gotten down, he reached over to his phone, which read _5:30._ His head snapped up. "Are you shitting me? Why are you willingly waking up this early? I _know_ you're not a morning person."

"What? People can change!"

"Bullshit. What's going on?" His eyebrows furrowed, and he shot her a worried look.

MJ huffed before finally telling him, "I just can't sleep. I get insomnia occasionally. It's been happening since I was little. I usually go running with Betty when it happens, but her programming professor is really killing her, so I didn't bother waking her up."

Peter closed his eyes and sighed. "Okay, fine, I'll come. Just... give me a minute." Peter headed to his crammed closet and picked out a pair of shorts; he didn't bother with a shirt. After pulling them on, he turned to MJ. "Alright, let's go. You're lucky that I love you."

* * *

"MJ, I _hate_ you."

Peter was already out of breath. Sweat dripped down his face, back, and chest. Despite his athleticism, he could _not_ do cardio for the life of him. He was really regretting agreeing to this run and actually wanted to die.

He panted, "Dear god, how do you do this? Fridays are supposed to be fun, but I'm absolutely miserable right now."

MJ just laughed. "That's what you get for only weight training, stupid. Maybe I should make you run with me every day."

Peter violently shook his head. "Nope. Nope. Absolutely not. I'm done with this shit."

"Come on! Please? For me? I thought I was 'one of your best friends.' You said it yourself."

"I regret ever saying that to you." Peter dropped his head as he continued to drag his feet (he was barely running anymore). "Ugh, fine. Fuck you, MJ. This was supposed to be a one-time thing, and now you've roped me into running every day."

MJ giggled at his expense, then ran ahead, shoving his shoulder playfully as she passed him. "The last one to the building has to buy coffee for both of us! And a donut for me!" she called.

Peter rolled his eyes, then increased his pace to catch up to her.

* * *

MJ slammed the door behind her. She was a little winded from racing Peter to their dorm building, but it was all worth it because Peter now owed her a cup of coffee and a donut.

Betty was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed. Her hair was down and framed her face. She was wearing a pair of pink leggings with polka dots and a loose purple crop top. She was reading a large book that was placed in her lap. She glanced at MJ and asked her, "How was your run?"

"It was good. I forced Peter to come with me, and now I've convinced him to come with me every day. _And_ he owes me coffee because he's literally slower than a ninety-year-old."

Betty laughed. "I'm glad you had a good time. Listen, MJ, I'm sorry I couldn't come. I know how bad your insomnia is, but I literally could not keep my eyes open."

MJ waved off Betty's apology, and she headed toward her closet. "No, it's fine, Betty. I understand." She grabbed her towel off one of the hooks, as well as a shirt and a pair of sweatpants. "Hey, I'm going to the bathroom, and we can leave in, like, ten minutes. Is that good?"

Betty nodded absentmindedly, and MJ rushed to the single-use bathroom before anyone else could occupy it. After she'd stood under the showerhead for about two minutes, she stepped out, dried off, and quickly got changed into an oversized tie-dye shirt—which featured a green alien kicking a soccer ball and an _'18_ next to the alien's head—and her black sweatpants before heading out.

MJ went back into their room and put on her trusty red hoodie. "Ready to go?"

"Yep!" Betty then asked, "Can you drive my car today? I'm too lazy."

While MJ didn't have her own car, Betty had given her permission to drive it whenever she wanted, which was convenient. "Alright, toss me the keys."

Betty threw the keys to her Black Toyota Prius (she and Peter _definitely_ didn't plan that...), which unfortunately landed on the floor. The two girls winced at the failed attempt. MJ bent down to grab them, and she grinned at Betty.

"Alright, let's get out of here. I have some coffee to collect," MJ said.

* * *

Peter and Ned rushed into the lecture hall just in time for class. They spotted MJ and Betty sitting towards the back; there were a few empty seats beside them. They made their way to the girls, with Ned holding both their bags and Peter gripping a small box of donuts and a tray that held four coffees. When they reached, Peter and Ned took the spots next to MJ and Betty, respectively. Ned and Betty shared a small kiss before Ned reached over and threw Peter's backpack on the floor next to Peter.

Peter slammed the items down near MJ. "There you go. Your donuts and coffee have been served." He bowed mockingly. (Ned and Betty both stealthily grabbed a cup and a donut.) He complained, "I can't believe you actually made me do that. We were almost late."

MJ scoffed. "I won fair and square, Parker. Besides, Jerison doesn't even take attendance; he literally doesn't even care. You're lucky we didn't decide to do this when we had Drennan. She's insane."

Peter tilted his head to the side, indicating that he agreed with her. "Okay, true." He then motioned to the coffee cup she had in her hand and asked, "That _is_ your order, right?"

MJ struggled to keep her poker face, and she smiled at him. "Yeah. Good job; you're learning, my young padawan."

Peter smirked at her _Star Wars_ reference. "Aw, I'm influencing you now! I _knew_ I could make you like _Star Wars."_ He nudged her shoulder with his.

MJ made a face. "Eh, it's whatever. I only watch it because it happens to be playing in your dorm, like, twenty-four seven."

"I still see this as an absolute win."

"Shut up and eat your donut."

* * *

Peter, MJ, Ned, and Betty were walking back together from the parking lot to their respective dorms.

Betty asked, "Hey, I heard a lot of people are skipping the whole week for Thanksgiving. Are you guys going to do that?"

Peter replied, "Uh, _yes._ I can't believe we only get Thursday and Friday off! I'm a pretty hard worker; I can skip three fucking days. I heard that some of the professors are leaving early, too. I was talking to May earlier, and she's totally on-board."

MJ said, "Yeah, I think I might go that Tuesday. My mom's a nurse and has the night shift on Mondays, so she can't pick me up. And Betty's staying until Wednesday night for some strange reason."

"Hey!" Betty exclaimed, "I'm sorry I value my education." MJ scoffed.

"Uh, I can take you," Peter offered quietly. "I have to drive Ned anyway, and the Bronx is on the way."

"Wait, are you serious?" MJ asked, a smile slowly creeping on her face. "If you can do that, I will buy you _so_ many Legos, I swear. I'll even give you our room key because you _so_ desperately want one."

Peter laughed. "You don't have to do that. Seriously, you're not really even out of the way."

MJ bounced up and down on her feet in excitement, practically squealing. It was kind of jarring to Peter and Ned; they usually saw the very stoic and sarcastic side of MJ. It was even uncommon for _Betty_ to see her like this. MJ wrapped up Peter in a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you! I love you _so much. Thank you._ I'm going to go call my mom as soon as I get inside our dorm."

She rushed to get to her room, dragging Betty along (because she had the keys). Ned and Peter trailed close behind.

Before Peter could open his door, MJ stopped him. "Hey," she called to him while reaching into her backpack, "I wasn't kidding. You can have our spare room keys." She held out a pair of their keys and placed it in Peter's palm. "Now we're even."

Ned and Peter spared a glance at each other before thanking her and quickly going back into their room.

"We leave next Sunday!" Peter called out as he closed the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I'm really trying to build up Peter and MJ's friendship, as you can see. Honestly, I haven't focused much on Betty and Ned. Do you guys think I should? Let me know! Also, please appreciate me because I actually went and looked up MIT professors for these classes. Okay, I'm kidding, but really, this took a lot of research. A small disclaimer, though: the personalities I gave to said professors are completely fake; I was not about to take the time to go find that out. And before I leave, here's a fun fact: the top half of MJ's outfit (that she wears to class) is something Rue wears in the pilot episode of Euphoria (she wears long shorts in the show, but that's not realistic for a winter so far up north). Anyway, kudos and comments are my favorite things to see. Love you all!  
> ~kitty22803


	4. The Road Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter, Ned, and MJ go on a road trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I'm really putting out these chapters quickly. I literally _never_ do that because I procrastinate on everything, including editing. I'm really excited to show this work to you guys, though, so I'm getting a lot better at updating. Oh, and one more thing: this chapter takes place a week (and a few days) after the last chapter. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!  
> On with the show!

MJ heard a knock on the door and shouted, "Go away!" and threw one of her extra pillows at the door.

"MJ, it's six in the morning." The voice was Peter's. "I thought you wanted to leave at five. What happened to _that_ plan?"

MJ could hear his smile through the door. "Fuck you, Parker."

"Hey, it's not like I wanted to get up, but traffic will be even worse this week because of Thanksgiving. I'm coming in." The door swung open to reveal Peter in an MIT sweatshirt and gray sweatpants. He waltzed in and immediately went to her closet. He threw her towel at her, which landed on her face; her favorite Bronx Science long sleeve t-shirt and a pair of bright red sweatpants followed. "Come on. We have to get going. Even _Ned_ is ready, and Betty's actually in our room right now. She's not even leaving until Wednesday night."

MJ groaned, then pushed the covers off her legs. She descended the ladder with her towel and clothes. "I can't believe I let you convince me to wake up this early."

"How is this any different from our morning runs? You force me to wake up at, like, five every day!"

"That is _my_ choice and a nice way to wake up." She then gave him a look and added, "Don't even pretend you don't like our daily runs. You even get up without me bothering you now."

Peter rolled his eyes and huffed. (He wouldn't admit it, but she was right. Their morning run had started to grow on him, _and_ he was getting better at doing cardio, even if it had only been a week and one day since he'd started running with MJ.) "Okay, seriously, go. We're leaving in thirty minutes—with or without you." He opened the door for her and ushered her out.

* * *

MJ walked into Peter's and Ned's dorm exactly twenty-nine minutes later.

She hadn't bothered to tie her hair up, so her curls were wild and all over the place. She was carrying her backpack and a small duffel bag.

Betty and Ned looked up from their spot on his futon. Ned waved.

"Hey, MJ, I'm glad you finally made an appearance," Betty joked.

MJ made a face at her, then turned her attention to Peter. "I'm ready, so can we leave now?"

Peter nodded and gathered up his backpack and tiny suitcase. He told Betty and Ned, "Okay, you guys, we have to get going. Ned, do you have your backpack and duffel bag?"

"Yeah," Ned answered, "Let me just make sure I have my laptop charger." After rooting through his bag, he gave Peter a thumbs up.

Betty quickly kissed him. "Have fun, Ned. Peter, please don't kill my best friend and boyfriend." She ruffled Peter's hair, then went to hug MJ. MJ recoiled at first but hugged back after a few seconds.

Peter was offended. "Hey, I'm a great driver. Ned is the one who almost crashed my car."

"Oh, is that what you thought I was saying?" Betty teased, "Nah, you would probably annoy them to death."

Peter scrunched his nose at her and—in a _very_ mature move—stuck his tongue out. "Ouch. Betty, I thought you loved me."

Betty shrugged and smirked. "Eh, sometimes. It depends on the day." She giggled and playfully hit his arm. "I'm kidding, Peter. Come on. I'll walk you guys to the parking lot."

The four friends walked through the hallway and took the elevator to the ground floor. They walked to Peter's Camry; Peter opened his trunk, and everyone shoved their things into it.

Peter reached inside and produced a grocery bag. "Snacks!" he exclaimed, eyes full of excitement. "I went out and bought a bunch yesterday. I hope you guys like hot Cheetos and original Ruffles. I think there are also Sour Patch Kids in here."

MJ smiled; he'd remembered her (intense) love for Sour Patch Kids.

Betty then said, "Okay, you guys probably need to get going. FaceTime me at some point, Ned. MJ, I'll see you in a few days. I think my mom wants to go shopping with your mom on Black Friday." She pulled MJ into another hug, then went to hug Peter and Ned as well.

Peter got into the driver's seat. "Shotgun!" MJ called, and she claimed the passenger seat, which left Ned to take a spot in the back. Peter started the car and set it in reverse.

Betty waved at them as the car backed out, and she smiled when she saw them already trying to mess with each other. They'd be fine.

* * *

Another hot Cheeto hit Peter in the face. "Ned! You have terrible aim," he cried.

Ned and MJ were attempting to throw snacks in Peter's mouth. (He would take them himself, but considering the chaos that was already happening in the car, it was unwise for him to try that.) They were keeping a tally of how many Peter could catch: so far, fifteen Cheetos, five Ruffles, and ten Sour Patch Kids. MJ was usually successful in her attempts. Ned would miserably fail, then pick it up off the floor of the car and eat it. ("Ew, Ned, you're going to get some weird disease if you do that," MJ warned him.)

Ned apologized, "I'm sorry! It's a lot harder because I'm in the back."

"Excuses, Ned, excuses," MJ butted in. Ned just flipped her off.

* * *

They were about one and a half hours into the trip. MJ and Ned's throw-food-into-Peter's-mouth competition was over; as expected, MJ won. There was an old Maroon 5 song playing on Bluetooth. (The student discount for Spotify was the greatest thing to ever happen to Peter.)

"Hey, MJ, are you registering for IAP?" Peter asked.

"Oh, that's the Independent Activities Period thing, right?" MJ asked.

Peter nodded before continuing, "I'm thinking of getting my PE credit done this time. I think Ned is planning on doing that, too." (Right on cue, Ned let out a loud snore. He'd fallen asleep as soon as his little competition with MJ was over.)

"Wait, I didn't realize we could do PE during IAP." She sat up straighter. "Holy shit, I need to pre-register. Betty told me about it, but I completely forgot."

"It's okay; pre-registration doesn't open until early December. I'm not sure of the exact date, but you have at least two weeks."

MJ sighed with relief. "Oh, okay. That's good."

They stopped talking after that, and MJ slowly drifted to sleep.

* * *

"MJ, we're here," Peter called, shaking MJ's shoulder. She stirred, and her hand came up to shove his face away.

"Five more minutes, Peter," she groaned.

"You can sleep once you get inside. I have your bags and everything; let's go." Like a petulant child, MJ shook her head and snuggled back into the seat. Peter sighed and called to Ned, "Ned, can you get MJ's stuff? I'm just going to carry her, and it'll go a lot faster."

Ned nodded and picked up her baby blue duffel bag and her heavy North Face backpack. While Ned made his way to the apartment complex and pressed a buzzer, Peter tried to figure out the best way to get Michelle home.

He ended up slipping his arms behind her back and her legs and picking her up. She shifted and protested a little, but she gave up after five seconds and just snuggled in. Peter slammed the car door closed with his foot and maneuvered the keys in hands so that he could reach the lock button.

He then saw a woman talking to Ned who looked a lot like MJ. _That must be her mom,_ he thought. He smiled at her (he almost waved but caught himself—MJ would _kill_ him if he dropped her).

Once he reached Ned and MJ's mom, he greeted her, "Hi, I'm Peter." He slightly raised MJ. "She fell asleep, and I was getting impatient."

The woman laughed. "It's okay," she replied, "Was she being stubborn and refusing to leave the car?"

Peter grinned. "Yeah, that's pretty spot-on."

"Sorry, she gets it from me." She shrugged helplessly. "Thank you so much for driving her here. She won't admit it, but she gets very homesick." She then gestured to the apartment building. "Would you mind...?"

Peter shook his head. "Oh, yeah, no, it's no problem! I'll take her up."

Ned and Peter followed her to one of the apartments. She fumbled with the key but managed to get the door open.

"Her bedroom is down that hallway; it's the door on the left." She turned toward Ned and told him, "Sweetie, you can sit down while he does that. Let me get you some water!"

While Ms. Jones fussed over Ned, Peter carried MJ to her room. He set her down on her bed and pulled the covers over her. He then stepped back and observed her room.

Purple bedsheets covered her mattress. The wall behind her head contained many polaroids. A white bookcase stood next to her bed; it showcased all of MJ's hardcover books. Her dresser was across from her bed. The room was simple yet elegant. It just screamed _MJ._

"Parker?" MJ whispered, eyes still closed.

He smiled at her. "Hey, you fell asleep. You're home now, though."

"Oh. Thank you."

She grasped his hand, and they stayed like that for a moment. He then pulled away and apologized to her. "I have to go, MJ. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she mumbled, half-asleep, "Love you."

"Love you, too."

Before he left, he gently brushed the hair away from her face.

* * *

Peter was finally back home. He'd just gotten back from Ned's place after a very long conversation with Ned's parents. (They also invited May and him over for Thanksgiving.) After college started to get busier, he didn't visit May as much anymore.

He unlocked the door and rolled in his suitcase, shouldering his backpack.

A squeal came from the couch, and there May was. She walked quickly towards him and pulled him into a tight hug. "My baby! I can't believe you're finally here!" she cried. She squeezed him even tighter— if that was even possible.

"Whoa, May. I can't breathe," Peter laughed. "I missed you, too."

"What took you so long? Weren't you supposed to be here an hour ago?"

"Yeah, Ned's parents didn't let me go until I had given them details about my whole life." He laughed. "And I also had to drop off MJ. She lives in the Bronx."

She kissed his forehead and pulled away. She held him at arm's length and studied him. She furrowed her eyebrows and asked, "Have you started exercising?"

Peter pretended to be offended. "Um, who says I wasn't exercising before?"

"You were, but this is a whole new level. Does MIT have a good gym or something?"

Peter laughed. "I mean, I have been doing weight training for a while now. And MJ forces me to run with her every day now."

May raised her eyebrows. "You've never mentioned an MJ until now. And you dropped her off today, too?"

"She lives across the hall, May. I've told you about them before. You know, Betty—her roommate—is dating Ned...?"

"Oh, that's right. You've never really talked about this _MJ,_ though. Is she cute?"

"Ew, May! We're just good friends, and _that's it."_

May said in a sing-song voice, _"Okay,_ Peter. Whatever you say."

Peter rolled his eyes and shook his head at her. He then took his bags into his room and set them down.

When he went back out, May had already brought out take-out menus (because god knows she can't cook). She looked up at him and asked, "Thai or pizza?"

He responded within a split second, "Definitely Thai."

"Great. I'll call and order our usual."

Peter nodded, then sat with her on their old couch. He turned on the TV and changed it to Hulu. There was a _Friends_ marathon going on, so he clicked on it and sat back.

May ordered their food and _Friends_ played in the background, and Peter looked around with a smile.

May settled down on the couch after the call ended. She smiled at him with approval when she saw what was playing on the TV.

And they just sat there all night, laughing at the TV, only getting up once when the doorbell rang for take-out. It was just a perfect moment, and Peter felt like he had never left home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guys know that MIT requires that students do PE _during_ college? I didn't until, like, yesterday. Okay, before you guys say anything, the sweet little things Peter did (like carrying MJ, holding her hand, brushing her hair off her face—you know, _that_ stuff) is completely platonic—at least, at this point. Don't read too much into it. My intention for the first few chapters is to focus on their friendship. That slow burn tag is there for a reason. Sorry (not sorry)! Also, when I was writing the part with May, I didn't mean for it to come off as, like, her criticizing Peter's body or something. I just find that parents (or guardians, I guess) tend to notice things a lot more. And also, I just wanted to include that Peter loves fitness. Sue me. Anyway, I'll see you guys soon!  
> ~kitty22803


	5. Thanksgiving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MJ spends Thanksgiving break with her mother. Betty visits her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter will be completely in MJ's point of view. I've been wanting to do this for a bit now, and I think you guys will like it! And by the way, I don't know if any of you guys realized, but the Bronx School of Science (where MJ and Betty used to go in this fanfic) is an actual school in the Bronx and is where Tom Holland went "undercover" to prepare for his role as Peter Parker. Anyway, if you like it, make sure to leave kudos and comments! Have fun reading!  
> On with the show!

MJ heard a faint voice calling her name.

"Michelle! Sweetie, it's already nine in the morning," her mother told her, "Maybe you'd like to consider getting up?"

MJ groaned, "You act like that's late." She continued, "Ugh, fine. I'm waking up. Just... give me a minute."

She scrunched her eyes shut, trying to block out the sunlight. After giving herself time to adjust, she slowly opened her eyes. Her mother was standing over her and gave her a small smile.

"Hi, baby. You fell asleep in the car yesterday. Thankfully, your friend Peter was nice enough to get you to your room. You've been sleeping for _at least_ twenty hours. You got up once and went back to sleep almost immediately. Have you been getting enough sleep?"

MJ nodded. "I'm fine, Mom. I just haven't gotten much sleep in this past week. My schedule will be back to normal now, I think."

Her mom gave her an understanding smile, and she reached out to comb her fingers through MJ's hair. "Okay. Now, come on; I made blueberry waffles."

MJ grinned. "Really? Aw, Mom, you didn't have to."

"It's a special occasion! Come!" She grabbed MJ's hand and pulled her out of bed.

* * *

"Okay, these are amazing," MJ praised.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Michelle," her mom scolded her teasingly.

MJ swallowed her waffle and looked up. "Did I really sleep for twenty hours?"

"Yep. When I tried to wake you up for dinner, you told me, 'Go to hell, Peter.' What was that about, anyway?"

"Uh... Peter, um... yeah, he's usually bothering me when I'm trying to sleep, so I guess it just came out." MJ was slightly uncomfortable. Maybe she was spending too much time with the "squad" (particularly Peter, even though she wouldn't admit it to herself).

Her mother laughed. "I'm glad you've made friends. You were always so shy growing up."

MJ blushed. "I wasn't _that_ bad."

"Honey, I distinctly remember when you _hissed_ at someone when they tried to get you to put your book down. You were in kindergarten."

MJ winced. She admitted, "Okay, fine, maybe I was a _little_ introverted. I still am; Betty forces me to socialize, though. You know how she is."

Her mom laughed and shook her head. "I suppose you're right. Is that how you met this Peter and... Ned, is it?"

"They're actually in the dorm across from us. Betty and Ned are dating now, remember?"

"Oh, that's right! Good for her! Ned seemed like such a sweet boy. How long have they been dating?"

"I think... three months?"

"Wow. You know, we _need_ to invite the Brants over for dinner this week. I haven't seen Betty in so long! We could do a Thanksgiving potluck."

"Yeah, sure, Mom, I'll text her about it."

"Awesome. Now, back to this Peter: is there something going on there?"

"Um, _no. Ew._ That's disgusting. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. Why would you say that?"

"Okay, wow, defensive much? I was just asking! He carried you to your room and everything, and I heard you two say you love each other! I assumed—"

"Mom, you've had platonic relationships with male coworkers and whatnot! We've just gotten really close. We're neighbors, we run together, and we have some of the same classes. It was going to happen eventually."

Her mother raised her hands in defense. "Okay, okay. I got it."

"Yeah, respect the squad, Mom." MJ's mom raised her eyebrows. MJ went on to explain, "It's an inside joke. The 'squad' means me, Peter, Ned, and Betty."

Her mom shook her head and rolled her eyes. "See, this is what I mean. My baby's coming out of her shell. You're a turtle!"

"Actually, a turtle's spine is attached to its shell, and if you tried to take the shell off, you would rip its spine out."

MJ's mother shuddered. "Okay... you went a different route than I expected. I meant that you're coming out of your shell like a turtle would poke its head out. Jesus, Michelle." She laughed at MJ.

"I like mine better."

"Michelle, that's animal cruelty."

"That's not—Mom, I'm not supporting animal cruelty!"

* * *

MJ was rereading _The Handmaid's Tale_ when she heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" she yelled.

The door opened to reveal Betty. "Hey, girl. Miss me?"

MJ's face broke out into a grin, and she rushed over to hug her best friend. "Hey! I didn't you guys were coming so early! Are your parents already here, too?"

"Yeah, they're talking with your mom in the kitchen. We brought stuffing and apple pie." They both sank down on the bed.

 _"Yes,_ I love apple pie. I'm tired of this pumpkin shit."

 _"Hey._ Watch what you say about pumpkin pie."

"Ha! I like pumpkin pie, but I've just had way too many pumpkin things lately. I'm over it."

"Okay, fair enough, I'll give you that."

"So...? How was your drive down here? How's our sweet little Spiky?" (Spiky was the tiny cactus they'd "adopted" last month.)

"Spiky is fine. And the drive was good. I basically talked to Ned the whole time." She added before MJ could say anything, "He was on Bluetooth, so don't worry."

MJ let out a snort. "You two are so gross, but I kind of love it. It's disgusting."

Betty scrunched her nose. "I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"Have you guys told each other your darkest secrets yet? Because if you haven't, I can do it. It's my job as the best friend to tell your boyfriend about all your embarrassing shit."

Betty rolled her eyes. "Hey, don't come for me, bitch. Shall I remind you about what occurred in ninth grade?"

MJ gasped, "You _wouldn't._ That is _never_ to be spoken of _ever again."_

"I mean, Ned and Peter don't know yet, but they might find out from an... unknown source."

"No! Absolutely not. That was the worst moment of my life, and they can _never_ find out. Squad or not, that secret can never leave Bronx Science."

"You know what? I'm going to FaceTime Ned right now! I'm doing it!" Betty yelled, and she leaped off the bed before MJ could take away her phone.

MJ chased a giggling Betty around the room, trying to grab the phone out of her hands, but was unsuccessful. The ring from the call sounded from Betty's phone, and MJ groaned.

 _I can't believe I'm about to be embarrassed to death,_ she thought.

Ned's face appeared on Betty's phone. It seemed that he was on the floor with a Lego set. "Hey, babe. What's up?"

"Hi, Ned," Betty purred, "is Peter there with you?"

A hand popped into the frame and waved. Peter: "Hey, Betty."

"Boys, I think it's time you learned something about our dear MJ." She tilted her phone so that a very upset MJ could be seen.

MJ hissed, "Betty, I _swear_ if you don't shut up—"

"Sweetie, you had it coming. Let me tell them the goddamn story." Betty turned her head back to her phone. "Okay, let's get right into it. So, picture this: it's freshman year of high school, and it's the second-to-last day of school. Our girl, MJ, is still innocent and pure. She's had a crush on this guy—"

Peter interrupted, "I'm sorry, but _why_ is this happening?"

MJ moaned, "Because she wants to kill me."

Betty smirked evilly. "MJ said she would tell Ned all my secrets and embarrassing stories, so I'm beating her to it!"

Peter was suddenly interested. "Um, okay, carry on. I would _love_ to hear an embarrassing story about MJ. This is my dream."

MJ cried, "This is my nightmare! Betty, this was supposed to be something we took to the grave!"

Betty hummed in agreement but then said, "Ah, yes, but not anymore. Anyway, let's go back to the story. So, she's had a crush on some guy since the beginning of the year. He wasn't some gross fourteen-year-old who only cared about soccer or some shit like that. No, he liked reading and liked to go on romantic picnics, and he actually did his homework and tried in school. So, on the last day, MJ asks me, 'Should I tell him I like him?' And he _definitely_ liked her back, so I told her to go for it. And she did it in the worst way possible: she sent a paper airplane note."

"No!" both Peter and Ned exclaimed.

"Yes, my children, she _did._ Of course, MJ actually paid attention to teachers back in freshman year, so she didn't see where the airplane went. Turns out, it went to the guy she hated most: Brad Davis. Brad was your stereotypical jock who cared a little bit too much about basketball. Yeah, Brad? He liked MJ, too. And so when that paper airplane landed on his desk, he unfolded it and saw our sweet girl's note."

Peter and Ned gasped almost comically.

Betty continued, "Poor MJ had no idea. She didn't get a response from the guy she _actually_ liked." When both the boys frowned, she told them, "Oh, no, we're not even at the bad part yet. On the last day of school, MJ and I walked into the school. It was like a regular day, except that it _wasn't._ Well, it was... until lunch. So, we're eating, you know, as one must. The lunchroom is packed, and so many people are there. Then, Brad Davis walks up to MJ with this _huge_ poster that says, 'Yes, I will go out with you!' with pink glitter on it."

Peter was the first to burst out laughing, and Ned joined in shortly afterward. Peter choked out, "Oh my god! She _hates_ pink! _And_ glitter! I'm dying right now!"

MJ's face was red; she buried her face in her hands.

Betty said calmly, "Yes, she _does_ hate both of those things. But MJ was so nice before our junior year rolled around, so she went with it and dated Brad Davis for _two whole months."_

 _"No,"_ Peter gasped. "Oh my god. This is the greatest day of my life. Betty, I love you so much. _Thank you."_

"It's my pleasure, Peter. You know, no one ever let that go in high school. I think some people have pictures; I really need to find those."

MJ then looked up. "Um, _no, you don't._ Bye, you guys. I'm going to go _drink bleach."_

MJ jabbed the end call button before Betty could say anything else incriminating. She then broke out into a fit of laughter. "I can't believe you did that to me!"

* * *

"You know what's great about Black Friday? I can buy weird shit that Peter and Ned would like for Christmas at a discount," MJ informed Betty.

Betty nodded. "That's straight facts. I don't know what I'm going to buy them, though. I mean, we both know they would just tell us not to get them anything if we asked what they wanted."

MJ sighed, "I know. It's annoying as fuck because I _know_ that's Peter's getting everyone something super thoughtful. He's not that great at keeping secrets."

"Exactly! I feel obligated! Although, for Ned, I could just stick a bow on my head and say _I'm_ his gift."

MJ gave her a disgusted look. _"Ew._ I did _not_ need to know that."

"Oh my god, MJ! I didn't mean it like that!" Betty then paused. "Although, now that you mention it..."

MJ pressed her palms to her ears and shook her head violently. "Nope, nope, nope. I don't need to know; I don't _want_ to know. Stop it. I don't want to know about your sex life. Please close your mouth."

Betty giggled, _"You're_ the one that planted the idea in my head!"

MJ said in a strangled voice, _"That doesn't mean you admit to it!"_

Betty raised her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay!" She smirked. "I'm still doing it, though."

"Ugh! Betty!"

* * *

"Get in, loser, we're going home," Betty called as MJ walked out to the parking lot of her apartment building.

MJ rolled her eyes. "I hate you." She went around to the back of the car and placed her duffel bag in the open trunk. She came back to the passenger seat and slid in, dropping her backpack at her feet. "Are we good to go?"

"Yeah, but we have to stop to get gas first. My tank's almost empty."

MJ nodded absentmindedly, leaning over so she could connect Betty's car Bluetooth to MJ's phone. (They both had similar music taste, so Betty didn't mind using MJ's Spotify for the day.) She scrolled through her Spotify playlists and found the one titled 'chill car jams' that they had both created together. She pressed the shuffle button, and some song from The Revivalists started playing.

After they made a pit stop at a gas station, the girls were on their way back to Cambridge.

MJ admitted to Betty, "You know, I'm going to miss the Bronx. Going to college is hard. Also, Mom does everything for me at home, and I really don't like being self-sufficient."

Betty let out a short laugh. "I mean, that's true. Actually having to fend for yourself is hard. But look on the bright side! We have two new best friends, I have a boyfriend, and we actually have a social life. Remember when Peter got an invitation to a frat party from some girl? Obviously, she liked him, but he didn't pick up on it and invited all three of us. It was pretty funny, but we ended up having a great time!" She added, "Of course, Ned got crazy drunk, which I have video evidence of, by the way."

MJ snorted. "I remember that. It was hilarious. Peter almost died laughing; I think being tipsy made it worse."

"Probably. Thankfully, I think we've all learned how to handle our booze since then."

"I don't know whether that's good or not. Does that mean we drink too often?"

Betty winced. "Uh, probably." She shrugged. "It's fine, though. The legal drinking age is eighteen literally everywhere except America, and those people aren't dead yet!"

MJ gave Betty a look. "Yeah, that's comforting," she commented sarcastically.

"Hey, you can't say anything. My parents told me that a single drop of alcohol would kill me before the age of twenty-one. Your mom literally gave you a beer and let you get drunk at, like, seventeen!"

"It was for educational purposes! She was like, 'I can't stop you from being stupid, but I can show you how to react and how it is to get drunk.' She didn't even let me drink that much."

Betty scowled. "At least your mom is chill and, like, understands you. My parents' version of sex ed was essentially what the coach from Mean Girls says."

MJ winced. "Yikes. That clearly didn't work out for them. I fondly remember senior year after—"

"Oh, god, please don't. That was the grossest day of my life. It was... not good."

MJ cackled, "Ha! The guy was such an asshole, too. He broke up with you right before Valentine's Day."

"Ugh, don't remind me. Hands down, that was the worst relationship of my life."

"It's not like you've had that many."

"Hey! I've had a few. Like, at least three."

"Yeah... that's it." MJ let out a puff of laughter.

"Fuck you, MJ."

"Aw, you love me."

* * *

MJ lugged her bags to the elevator, with Betty following close behind.

"You think the guys are already here?" she asked.

"Uh, maybe? I forgot to ask Ned when they were leaving."

MJ shrugged. "I guess we'll find out."

They made their way through the hallway and to their dorm. Once they were inside, they both sank down onto their matching armchairs (Betty threatened to move out if they were mismatched) underneath their lofted beds, dropping their bags to the floor.

"God, it's honestly so good to be back," Betty said with a sigh of relief, "I love my parents and all, but it's almost... freeing to be away from them."

Despite her earlier complaints, MJ did love all the freedom she got when she was away. She bobbed her head in agreement.

Then, they heard a rap on the door.

"Hey, you guys. We just got back! I'm pretty sure I saw Betty's car. If I didn't... well, people may think I'm crazy for talking to air." MJ recognized Peter's voice.

"You could be talking to a ghost if you believe that stuff," Ned added.

Betty stood up quickly and went to go open the door, proving that they were, in fact, actually in the room. "Hi, boys! How was the drive back?" Betty asked. She gave Ned a peck on the cheek before she ushered them both in.

MJ remained seated but smirked at Peter, giving him the middle finger. He just rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out.

Ned replied to Betty, "It was fine. Traffic was hell, though. I've never heard Peter flip anyone off so many times. Besides MJ, of course."

MJ interrupted, "What can I say? He's just hell-bent on hating me." She sniffed and turned her head away, pretending to be hurt.

Peter raised his eyebrows. "Excuse me, but you're the one who always flips me off first. I have to retaliate somehow."

"Boohoo. Cry me a river, bitch." Just proving his point further, she flipped him off again.

"See? I'm being emotionally and verbally abused, you guys."

"Grow a pair."

"Says _you_ _,_ Miss I-went-out-with-Brad-Davis-for-two-months-because-I-was-too-nice-to-reject-him."

MJ gasped, "How _dare_ you?"

MJ and Peter continued to throw insults at each other, while Ned and Betty just watched them with amusement.

Just like that, the "squad" was back together, and it was like they hadn't even left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's done! Okay, in case it wasn't clear, MJ's mom is a single mom. I thought I should let you guys know. Also, the conversation MJ and her mom had about Peter was just my way of saying that men and women can, in fact, platonically love each other. (Yes, I know this fanfic is going to end in a romantic relationship, but _that's not the point.)_ And one last thing: I have absolutely no idea how Thanksgiving works. I _am_ a natural-born American, but my parents are not (they have citizenship now, but they didn't grow up here like me), so we don't really do Thanksgiving (and also we're vegetarian, so that kind of makes everything different). So, that's why I didn't include a scene with everyone having dinner and whatnot. I just don't really know how to write it authentically, I guess. Okay, sorry, I'm done. I love you guys, and thank you for supporting me!  
> ~kitty22803


	6. Happy New Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The "squad" celebrates the New Year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm back with a new chapter! Okay, so remember when I mentioned IAP during the road trip chapter? Well, it's back! It's an actual program at MIT during January before second semester begins (which begins in February) that lets you do for-credit classes, as well as non-credit activities. It's apparently a chance for MIT kids to have more fun but still get a chance to do classes they may not have time for during regular semesters. I thought you should know that before you read any further. I researched a bunch for IAP, and I literally had, like, fifteen tabs open, so I'm pretty sure it's all accurate. Anyway, enjoy!  
> On with the show!

The four friends had decided that they didn't want to go to one of the many New Year's parties that were being hosted all over Cambridge and Boston. Instead, they decided to stay in MJ and Betty's dorm and turn on the ball drop on Peter's Macbook Pro.

They had just come back recently from New York a few days after Christmas; they would've stayed longer, but there was only a week left until IAP.

"Yo, what classes are you guys taking for IAP?" Ned asked them.

They were all lounging around MJ's and Betty's dorm; Ned and Peter were on the floor, and MJ and Betty were on their respective armchairs.

Peter thought for a moment before answering, "I think we're all taking gym, right?" They all nodded to confirm. He continued, "Honestly, thank god none of us have to take Physics I this year. Sure, we went through hell during high school to get that AP credit, but it's so worth it. I heard some kids are attempting to do physics in just IAP. That must suck."

"I mean," MJ added, "I think taking both AP Physics C classes was terrible, but I see your point. Now that it's over, it _is_ kind of worth it. And I guess we all have our social studies APs for credits, too."

Betty then spoke up, "Ugh, do you guys remember that stupid diagnostic test we had to do for calculus? I thought Calc BC was hard, but that shit was so much worse."

Ned told her, "At least we all passed. I know some kids who didn't, so even though they got fives on the AP exam, they still had to take Calc I first semester."

Peter groaned, "Ugh, why are we even here? MIT is _brutal."_

MJ huffed in agreement. "We're all just masochists, I guess."

Betty then interrupted, "Okay, now we're all sad, so this is a great time to bring in some alcohol!" She gave them a way-too-bright smile and practically skipped over to the mini-fridge. She swung the door open to reveal a bottle of champagne and a half-empty bottle of rosé. "One of the parties we went to had too much leftover alcohol, so I brought some back."

She then reached over the fridge to pull some plastic (but reusable, of course—saving the environment was important) cups out.

MJ broke the silence. "Classy. Drinking cheap wine in plastic cups."

"Hey, I tried, okay? We're not exactly rich here, and we're underage, so I don't exactly have the means to request what kind of alcohol I receive."

"Don't you have a fake ID?"

"You know I'm scared to use it! I got it when we were, like, seventeen!"

MJ rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you have a fake ID and I don't. You'd think it'd be the other way around." Peter and Ned nodded in agreement, while Betty looked offended.

Betty sighed and scrunched her eyes shut. "You know what? I'm too sober for this shit. Hold out your cups, you guys. We're going to get drunk."

Ned then told her quietly, "Babe, I love you, but it's only four o'clock in the afternoon."

"Shh, Ned, respect the process."

* * *

Betty and MJ were sufficiently drunk by the time it was about nine at night. (They would've been knock-out drunk, but Ned and Peter made sure they drank a shit ton of water and didn't drink more than they should.)

"Peter! My best friend! My running buddy! Dude, I love you so much," MJ cried. Unfortunately, MJ was a bit of a light-weight; for her, tipsy meant _pretty fucking drunk._

Peter sighed in response, "I know, MJ. I love you, too. How about, uh, you sit down for a minute, okay?"

He took her arm and gently placed it around his shoulders before guiding her to her armchair. He lowered her to the chair and sat her down before she could do anything stupid.

Unfortunately, a whirlwind named Betty came over and invaded. "MJ, there's a party happening a few dorms over! We should go and leave the boys to fend for themselves. We need to get you _laid,_ girl!" While tipsy Betty was _much_ better than tipsy MJ, she was still bad at decision-making.

Betty tugged on MJ's hand, pulling her up into a standing position. They both burst out into giggles. Ned and Peter exchanged a look.

Peter then interrupted the giggle-fest, "Um, maybe _don't_ do that."

"Ugh, Peter, you're so boring. Have some fun! Drink some more champagne!" Betty almost yelled in his ear.

"You guys drank most of it. _And_ the rosé." He made a face. "Not your greatest idea, Betty."

"Fine. Can we go if you guys come with us?"

Peter opened his mouth to argue, but Ned hit his arm. It was evident that she would go either way. Ned replied, "Why not, Betty? We just don't want to see you guys get hurt, okay?"

Betty waved him off, already dragging MJ to the door. "Ugh, men," she muttered to herself, "They always think they can control women."

Peter began to protest, "That's not—"

Ned hit him again. "Dude, just let them go. Come on; we can't let them get lost."

* * *

There were way too many people in this dorm, Peter noticed. It should not be humanly possible to fit so many people into such a tiny room.

There was loud music playing; a tiny cooler with just a few beers and a bottle of straight vodka sat in the back.

Betty and MJ were already talking to friends they had spotted and had abandoned Ned and Peter after about ten minutes.

The boys exchanged weary looks.

Ned yelled over the music, "I'm just going to hang around with a beer or something. Is that good with you?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah! I'm going to make sure MJ doesn't kill herself!" Ned gave him a thumbs up before heading to the cooler.

Peter then scanned the room for MJ; even though it was a small space, it was hard to find anyone. He finally spotted her talking to someone in the corner. He headed over to make sure she wasn't going to do anything stupid or, like, throw up on the guy she was talking to.

He then caught a glimpse of the guy's face; MJ was talking to Harry Osborn—his former best friend.

* * *

MJ spotted Peter and waved him over. "Peter! Get over here! You remember Harry, right?" Thankfully, she'd gotten a little sober in the past hour that they'd been here. She was still holding onto the cup of water that Peter had forced her to drink.

Peter slowly made his way over, clearly dreading seeing Harry after such a long time. They'd crossed paths at Midtown, but their friendship had fizzled out after elementary school. He gave Harry a tight smile. "Hi, Harry. Uh, how's it going, man? We haven't talked since... forever."

"Yeah," Harry replied, "I didn't realize that you, uh, knew MJ."

There was tension in the air as Peter said, "Yeah, we're dorm neighbors; that's how we met. She told me she knew you, you know."

"Oh? Um, alright."

MJ looked between the two. "Well, uh, I'm glad you guys have reconnected! Isn't that nice?" MJ _knew_ Peter hated every moment of this; he had told her about all the problems in his and Harry's friendship. However, she completely ignored this fact and shot him a glare that said, _Socialize with him._

They both had an intense conversation with their eyes, and Peter glared at her with ferocity.

"Peter," she hissed quietly, "swallow your pride and your stupid masculinity and talk to him. It won't kill you."

"Won't it, though?" he shot back.

MJ rolled her eyes. "I may be a little drunk, but I'm not stupid. Whatever this is, _it's stupid."_

"Why are you even talking to him? I thought the fling ended!"

"It did, but we agreed that if we ever saw each other again, we'd be friends. And we _did_ see each other; he was in one of my classes in our first semester. It's called maturity, Parker. Now grow a pair and _talk."_

 _"Fine,_ but you have to stay here." Before MJ could open her mouth to argue, he continued in a louder voice, "I will withhold cuddle time if you don't." (What? Sue her for liking to cuddle. Peter was like her personal heater, and Betty could only cuddle for short amounts of time before getting uncomfortable.)

MJ sighed in defeat. "Okay, I'll stay. I don't have my mother to cuddle with me, or I'd kick you to the curb, you know." (She wouldn't.)

"No, you wouldn't."

* * *

Peter found that Harry Osborn was... actually not that bad. After about twenty minutes of forced conversation, Betty had dragged MJ away. (Unfortunately, Peter couldn't blame MJ for that; once Betty had someone in her grasp, she didn't let go.)

Harry interrupted his thoughts, "It seems like you and MJ are close."

Peter smiled softly. "Yeah, she's one of my best friends."

"Has she ever, uh, said anything about me?"

Peter exhaled loudly through his nose. "She's mentioned you in passing. Why?" (He knew why.)

Harry shrugged. "I guess I just forgot how awesome she is, you know. I'd like to get to know her again. Maybe we could become friends. We talked a little during our class last semester, but it wasn't much."

Peter nodded slowly, refusing to remove his gaze from his Vans. "Sure, I guess."

"Uh, are you okay with that?"

Peter looked up from his shoes. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Are you okay with that?" Harry repeated.

"Okay with what?"

"If MJ and I were friends..."

"That's not my choice."

"Right..." There was an awkward silence followed before he continued, "Listen, Peter, you don't have to talk to me. I know MJ wants us to be buddy-buddy or whatever, but you clearly don't want that."

"It's not that, Harry. It's just... it's been a while, okay? We weren't exactly friends after elementary school."

"That was definitely on my dad. You know how he is."

Peter felt a pang of sympathy; Harry's mother had died from cancer when he was little, and his father became cold and unforgiving.

He nodded. "I know."

Luckily, Peter was saved by Ned and Betty. Ned told him, "Hey, the ball drop is in two minutes. Come on!"

Betty directed her words at Harry. "You, too, whoever you are!"

They both followed Betty and Ned to where MJ was standing. She had a glass of vodka that hadn't been touched. Everyone in the dorm was gathered around the smallest TV Peter had ever seen. It was broadcasting the ball drop in Time Square.

MJ smiled at him and motioned for him to come closer. "Hey, you. Did you guys figure your shit out?"

Peter shrugged. "Not all the way, but I think we're getting somewhere."

"Good. You need that, Peter."

The corners of his lips tilted up slightly. "You're too good for me; you know that?"

All the students in the room started counting down with the clock on the TV screen. "Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!"

Everybody in the room was hugging and celebrating. The few couples in the room kissed, making those beside them mildly uncomfortable.

MJ pulled him into a tight hug, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist. She whispered in his ear, "Happy New Year, Peter."

Happy New Year, MJ." He pressed a light kiss on her hair, and they stayed like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it? One thing: I skipped Christmas/other holidays and went to New Year's because I _really_ didn't want to think about what presents they should get each other. Also, they'd have to give each other their Christmas presents fairly early because everyone would (obviously) spend Christmas at home, and I didn't want to write a filler chapter, so I didn't. And before I go, here's the fun fact of the day: the part with Betty's fake ID is based off the fact that Betty has a fake ID in _Far From Home_ but has never used it (I thought that part was hilarious). Anyway, I'm currently working on editing another chapter, so make sure to subscribe so you won't miss it! (Ew, I sound like a YouTuber.)  
> ~kitty22803


	7. Too Much Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second semester begins, and it feels like everything has changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys! Thank you all so much for your support! Just letting you know: I decided that I wouldn't bore anyone with IAP, so I just time-jumped to February. Get ready for some drama, people. It's been all fun and games until now, and it's all over for you. The happiness wasn't going to last forever, though, was it? Sorry (not sorry). I love you guys, but I also really like torturing people with slow burns. Okay, have fun reading!  
> On with the show!

"Peter, I swear to god if you don't take your feet off my lap, I will chop off your legs," MJ threatened Peter.

The "squad" was hanging out for their last day of break before their second semester. IAP had just ended a couple days ago, so they thankfully had some time to recuperate before their rigorous classes.

"Okay! Jesus, woman. You put your feet on my lap all the time!" Peter argued. However, he dropped his feet to the floor just in case MJ was actually being serious.

"That's because I have special privileges, Peter. Get with the times."

Betty interrupted their bickering, "Shut up, you two. We're trying to watch a movie." (That was definitely not true. Betty and Ned were just making out.

"Fine, Peter and I will go to _his_ dorm and argue. Have fun, and _please_ put a sock on the doorknob if you're going to have sex." MJ grabbed Peter's hand and pulled him up, dragging him to the door.

"Um, do we have to do this right now?" he asked.

"Shut up, Parker."

* * *

"God, I cannot _stand_ them anymore. They just don't stop!" MJ almost yelled.

"Yeah, it's pretty fucking annoying, but I've learned to tune it out," Peter sympathized. "You know, we could've just kicked _them_ out. My arm fell asleep because you wouldn't move." He pouted and shot her a look of annoyance.

"It's not my fault that you're my human pillow."

"Um, yes, it is. You literally just use me for my warmth and cuddles, don't you?"

"Most definitely. I'm not even going to try and hide it." MJ grinned at him shamelessly.

"Ugh, you're lucky I like you a little, or else I would've ditched you a long time ago. I'm even talking to Harry fucking Osborn for you."

"And you thanked me for it! The relationship is getting better, Peter. Just wait it out; you guys are going to be best buds after this."

"Okay, that's pushing it. Ned's my best bud, and you know that."

"And me. Don't forget me." She smirked and bumped his shoulder with hers.

"Sometimes. Depends on the day, you know?"

"Fuck you. I've done so much for you. You're even good at cardio now, all thanks to me."

"Ugh, you're right. Weren't you so proud when I could run faster than you?"

MJ scoffed. "I went easy on you." (She didn't.)

"Okay, MJ, whatever you say." Peter gave her a cheeky smile, and MJ just hit him upside the head.

"Okay, be real with me," she told him, "Is it going well with him?"

"Harry? Sure, yeah, I guess. I have to say it, though: the movie night was a _terrible_ idea."

MJ winced. She'd convinced Harry to come to their weekly movie night one time, and it was the worst idea she'd ever had. It was incredibly awkward because he and Peter couldn't even maintain eye contact. Also, the three had accidentally witnessed Ned and Betty getting it on after coming back from the dining hall with smuggled snacks. MJ never wanted to relive that moment.

She finally replied after rehashing the event in her mind, "Okay, I'll admit that it wasn't my finest moment. But you guys are making progress! I'm just so tired of seeing you mope about your problems with him, so I'm _solving_ the problems."

Peter let out a breezy laugh. "And I appreciate you for it. Come here." He wrapped her up into a warm hug, and she relaxed in his arms immediately. (He was definitely her favorite kind of personal heater.)

What MJ _didn't_ tell him was that she was going on a date with Harry next weekend. Was it really so bad for her best friend to actually get along with someone she liked? But that explanation was for another time and place.

* * *

It had been about a week since the second semester had started, and Peter was already struggling. However, he knew he always had his morning runs with MJ to look forward to. So, it was understandable that he was a little upset when MJ didn't show up for their run on a Monday morning (the worst day of the week, as any student knows).

That Sunday, Betty had stumbled into his and Ned's dorm at about eleven at night. She'd mumbled something about MJ finally getting laid and had passed out next to Ned before Peter could say or ask anything. He'd just shrugged it off and told himself he'd ask MJ about it during their run.

Strangely enough, when his alarm went off at five fifteen in the morning, MJ wasn't already pounding on the door and telling him to hurry up. By the time Peter was ready at five-thirty, she still hadn't made an appearance.

He made his way to her door and knocked lightly. "Hey, MJ?" he called, "Are you okay? It's already five-thirty." He got no response. "Alright, I'm coming in. Hang on."

He nudged the door open and went inside, expecting to see a dying MJ in her bed. (When MJ got sick, it was a big deal. She was always really dramatic and would not even move an inch.) Instead, he was met with the sight of MJ and Harry Osborn sleeping in her small twin bed.

"Uh, _what the fuck?"_

MJ head popped up, eyes still half-closed. Her eyes then opened wide when she noticed Peter's presence. "Oh. Oh, shit. Hi, Peter! What's up... bro?" she asked awkwardly, face turning red.

"Oh my god. Oh my god, I'm _never_ going to get that out of my head," he groaned.

"I mean, it's not like... you haven't seen it before...?" she said in an embarrassed voice. (The four friends had seen each other in all sorts of situations at this point, so it wasn't anything new.)

"This is different. _Totally_ different. Like, _so_ different."

"Yeah. Listen, Peter—"

"Nah, it's fine. You don't have to... I'm going to go now. Bye!" Peter slowly backed out and slammed the door.

He put his face in his hands and almost screamed.

* * *

"Um, did you guys know that Michelle is sleeping with Harry Osborn? _Again?_ _"_ Peter was panicking. He was panicking _a lot._ He'd even used her _actual_ name, which only happened when he was super upset. (He didn't know why, but it just bothered him.)

Betty and Ned were slightly confused as to why Peter had to wake them up for this.

"Oh, uh, she didn't tell you? He asked her out; they went out a few days ago," Betty informed him. She looked a little guilty.

"I'm _so_ happy for her. I really am. Just—" Peter stopped and inhaled loudly and close his eyes. "Why wouldn't she tell me? Aren't best friends supposed to tell each other important shit like that? She could've said, 'Hey, I'm dating your former best friend. You know, that broken friendship you're currently trying to repair?' Yeah?" Peter nodded vigorously. He went back and forth on his feet, his hands playing with the hem of his shirt. "It's fine; I'm fine. I'm just going to... Okay, bye."

Peter went out of his dorm and started down the hallway. He'd just have to go on his run on his own.

* * *

MJ heard a knock on the door. "Come in!" she yelled.

Betty peeked inside. "Hey. Peter's freaking the fuck out. I don't think he's okay."

"Uh, why?"

"You know why: he's hurt. You decided to go and date someone he's hated for a long time, and you didn't even think to tell him. I mean, they _just_ started talking again."

"Peter doesn't get to tell me who I can date. I'm an independent woman, Betty."

"He's not trying to do that, MJ. I think he would've been happy for if you had just _told_ him."

"I was going to after they'd become better friends."

"I know, sweetie, but you _have_ to go talk to him. He's at the gym, I think."

MJ sighed, but she pushed herself off her bed and went down the ladder. Whether she wanted to or not, she had to go talk to Peter.

* * *

When MJ walked into the gym, Peter was beating the living hell out of a punching bag. Although he actually liked running now, he still wanted to incorporate boxing and weight training into his life.

His dark gray tank top was drenched in sweat, and he continued to take out his aggression on the unfortunate punching bag.

"Peter," MJ called to him. She _knew_ he saw her because he quickly glanced over but averted his eyes immediately. "Peter, we have to talk."

He finally lowered his hands and stopped pacing about the bag. "What?" he asked gruffly.

MJ was taken aback. Peter was never like this; she'd only seen the bright, sweet side of him until now. Even when he was mad, he was quiet, and it generally blew over fairly quickly.

"Um, can we..." MJ gestured towards the door.

Peter closed his eyes and sighed. "Okay. Fine," he continued in a softer voice, "Just let me get my stuff, and then we can leave."

MJ waited until he had gathered up all his belongings, and then they headed to the exit door. As soon as they'd made it out of the building, she blurted out, "I'm sorry."

There was a moment of silence. "I'm not mad at you."

"It sure seems like you are."

"Well, I'm not. I just—I thought we'd gotten to a point where we could tell each other everything, Michelle. You can date whoever the fuck you want; I'm not stopping you. It's—" Peter let out a loud sigh. "Harry and I have always had such a complicated relationship. If it had been anyone else, I wouldn't even feel the need to know. And you don't owe anything to me, and I get that. It's just my stupid inferiority complex, I suppose." He let out a bitter laugh and focused his eyes anywhere but on MJ's face.

"No, Peter, I should've told you, and I'm sorry. Don't get me wrong; I'm not apologizing about dating Harry, and you shouldn't expect that. But you deserved to know. You guys just started talking again, and I didn't want to damage it." MJ reached for Peter's hand and threaded her fingers through his. "I promise I'm an open book, starting now." She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Peter finally looked at her and smiled. "Okay. Just, please, no details about your sex life, and we're golden. I'm not mentally ready for that."

MJ giggled and purposefully knocked into him. "Shut up. You know I wouldn't do that to you."

"Um, I _very_ clearly remember when you and Betty gave me and Ned a play-by-play of your sexual encounters. You guys were _so_ drunk, and Ned and I couldn't stop the word vomit. It was possibly my most traumatic life experience.

She gave him a skeptical look. "There's no way that happened."

"Oh, girl, _it happened."_

And just like that, their friendship was back on track.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for doing that to you guys. I _did_ warn you that it would be a slow burn. And by the way, just because MJ is now with a man does in no way mean that her friendship with Peter will get worse. Nope, we are avoiding that stereotypical nonsense because a girl doesn't have to leave all her friends for a boyfriend (or whatever Harry may be to MJ at the moment) or a "significant other". Also, sorry that this took a few days longer to get updated than usual! Usually many of my fanfics are super planned out and everything, but this chapter was rewritten three billion times. I just could not find a way to make the whole Peter-finding-out thing believable and not too over-the-top. Anyway, there will be an update soon, so look out for that! Until next time...  
> ~kitty22803


	8. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and MJ start to get closer, and Peter finds someone new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, my wonderful readers! I'd like to thank everyone for the support I've gotten. I have never gotten such a huge response to any of my fanfics before now, and that makes me so happy. I'm glad everybody is enjoying my writing, and I hope you guys continue to read this because it's truly my baby and I've worked really hard on it. Oh, and by the way, this chapter takes place in early March. Anyway, have fun reading this chapter!  
> On with the show!

"MJ, where are you going?" Harry groaned.

MJ was at his dorm this time; Betty got tired of being kicked out.

"I have to leave. My dorm is a few buildings away, and Peter and I run every morning to the boxing gym, so I don't have a lot of time. Do you have a shower on this floor?"

"What? Yes, we have a shower. But I thought, uh, that you'd stay."

"Uh, well, I can't focus without my daily runs, you know?" MJ gave him an awkward smile and continued pulling on her clothes from the night before.

It was painfully obvious to her that Harry wanted something more from whatever this was. But MJ wanted to take things slow before jumping into a relationship.

Harry pulled himself into a sitting position. He sighed and ran his fingers through his unruly hair. "Right. Um, text me when you get back, yeah?"

"Sure, Harry. I'll see you."

MJ rushed out the door before he could say anything else.

Later that day, she realized that she never texted him.

* * *

MJ was in the middle of dodging Peter's gloved hand when he asked, "Hey, what's going on?"

She faltered for a minute and let her guard down, which allowed Peter to punch her in the face. "You're pulling your punches," she growled.

"And you're changing the subject. What's wrong?"

She tapped her gloves together to signal a timeout. She sighed and headed to the ropes, raising one of them to duck under it. Peter followed, and they both sat down on a bench, breathing hard. They both took off their gloves and set them aside; the hand wraps stayed on, though.

"I think Harry wants to be serious or whatever."

"Okay... and?"

"And I don't know if I want that."

"Oh. I see."

"What should I do?"

"MJ, you know I can't tell you that. You have to listen to your intuition. But hey, if you like him, you should go for it."

"I mean, you know my... issues with opening up to people. What if he doesn't like that and, like, dumps me?"

Peter reached for her hands and gently held them, running his thumbs across her knuckles. "From what I've seen, he likes you a lot, MJ. And if it takes a while for you to open up, he'll have to wait. Okay?"

MJ nodded. "Okay. Thank you for that."

"I'm always here, MJ. You know that I love you. If he ever hurts you, though, I will laugh as I watch you beat his ass."

"Aw. That's sweet." MJ wrinkled her nose and grinned. "Come on. Put on your gloves, and let's get back in there. You're going down, bitch."

"Um, no, I'm going to kick your butt before you even have the chance to blink."

"Why? Because I'm a woman, and women are 'biologically weaker than men'?"

"Stop trying to be all feminist about it! That's not I meant, and you know it."

"It's my secret weapon: making men feel uncomfortable by insinuating that they're sexist."

"Ugh, I hate you."

"No, you don't."

"No, I don't."

* * *

Peter rushed into the lecture hall with MJ close on his trail. They'd gotten caught up at the gym and didn't realize the time. Thankfully, they were still about thirty seconds early.

"Hey," Ned called to them, "where were you guys?" He was sitting next to Betty, their hands intertwined. There were two empty seats next to them, and Peter and MJ hurriedly sat down in them.

"Sorry, you guys," MJ apologized, "but we got a little too into boxing today."

Peter scoffed and corrected her, "MJ did. She was determined to beat me. I'm surprised I'm still standing."

"I went easy on you."

"Yeah, sure. I feel like I got run over by a fucking stampede of elephants."

"Serves you right for thinking you could take me."

He stuck his tongue out and flipped her off.

Before Ned or Betty could respond, an unknown blond girl waltzed in and plopped down in the only empty seat in their row, which was next to Peter.

"Uh, hi!" she greeted them cheerfully, "I'm Gwen Stacy." The four friends just stared at her in confusion as she continued to talk animatedly. "My friends aren't here today; they're skipping class for a darty—you know, a day party? Anyway, I've noticed you guys in the past, and you seem smart. Can I sit here?"

After a moment of silence, Peter finally spoke up, "Um, sure? Go ahead, I guess. I'm Peter Parker." He then listed each of their names in consecutive order, pointing at each person.

The girl—Gwen—smiled kindly and waved. "Hi, you guys. It's nice to meet you! So, did you guys do the homework? I did, but I didn't get this last one on—"

The girl seemed sweet, but Peter thought it was too early for anyone to be this alert. He just zoned her out for the rest of the class and let the others take this one.

* * *

MJ nudged Peter's elbow with her own.

"Hey, she's making eyes at you right now," she whispered at him.

His head jerked toward her, and he gave her a confused look. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I think Gwen's into you."

Peter scoffed. "Nah... no, she's not."

"Um, yes, she is."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes, Peter!" she hissed a little too loudly. Gwen turned their way and gave them a questioning look; Betty and Ned were used to it and just ignored them. MJ waved her off dismissively. "Sorry, we're... debating about... baby wipes..."

"Wow. Baby wipes? Really?" Peter questioned. "God, I hate you."

She ignored that. "Come on! It's obvious! Go talk to her after class."

"First of all, no, MJ. Also, why would she be into me?"

"Are you fucking kidding me? _Everyone's_ into you, Parker. You're not _that_ ugly."

He smirked. "Oh?"

"It's an objective viewpoint; don't let it go to your head."

"You know what? Fine. I'll talk to her if that'll get you off my back."

 _"Thank you._ I know for a fact that you had a crush on that cute guy who always sat behind us in Chem last semester, but you didn't do anything about it. So, now I'm taking control of your love life."

"Okay, well, I have no other choice, so I'm just going to go with it and hope I come out alive."

She grinned. "Yep!"

* * *

As Peter was packing up his things to go back with MJ, Ned, and Betty, he heard Gwen's voice.

"Hey, Peter?" she asked, "Can we talk for a second?"

He zipped up his backpack and turned to face her. (He saw MJ wink at him out of the corner of his eye, but he ignored her.) "Yeah, sure, what's up?"

"Um, so, I was wondering if you wanted to go out for coffee after class next Monday?"

Peter froze. "Um..."

"Oh, I'm sorry if I overstepped. I'll just—"

MJ came up to them and interrupted (and elbowed him in the side), "I'm so sorry. He's very loyal and sweet, but also very dumb. Of _course,_ he'll go out with you." She tilted her head and smiled before turning to Peter. "Right, Peter?"

"Oh, sorry. Coffee, uh, sounds great," he stammered. He got like that when cute girls asked him out.

Gwen giggled. "Oh. Okay. See you later, Peter!" She waved and practically skipped out of the room.

Peter just stared as she left, not even knowing what happened.

MJ hit his arm. "You idiot! I told you she liked you. And I can see that you like her, too, so you're welcome."

Peter rolled his eyes. "You could've hyped me up or something. I thought you were going to be my wingwoman or something."

"I _am,_ but I also cannot tell a lie," she told him as they headed out the doors to catch up with Betty and Ned.

 _"Excuse_ me, but I recall you saying I was 'not that ugly.'"

"Objectively."

"Still."

Shut up, Parker, or I'll make you give me a foot massage."

"You _already_ make me do that."

"Five more minutes, then, _and counting."_

"I—"

"Ah! Six minutes!"

Peter's jaw snapped shut, and he glared at her. He shoved at her shoulder playfully, and she scoffed.

"I'll tell May that you've been mean to me if you do that," she threatened.

Peter's hands instantly drew back at that. (MJ met May over FaceTime about half-way through IAP. They had become friends instantly and exchanged numbers about five minutes into the call. Unfortunately for Peter, this meant MJ now knew several embarrassing childhood stories.)

"That's just a cheap shot, MJ. I swear May loves both you _and_ Ned more than me. It's sad."

"What can I say? The woman has good taste."

Peter rolled his eyes. "I don't know. I can get behind Ned, but you...? Eh."

MJ opened her mouth in disbelief. _"Take that back."_

He shook his head. "Nope. You can't make me."

"I may not have my gloves on, but I will throw hands _right now."_

"Okay, first of all, they're literally in my gym bag, which I'm carrying. Wait, why'd I tell you that? Shit, my lack of filter is concerning."

They caught up to Betty and Ned, who just watched them with amusement. They all stopped in the middle of the path.

"Okay!" Betty yelled, "That's enough, ladies." Peter gave her a disgusted look. "Peter, don't give me that look; you're one of the ladies at this point."

MJ flipped off Peter triumphantly and smirked. "I win that one, too."

"No, you don't."

* * *

They all settled into Betty and MJ's dorm for their weekly movie night when Peter heard a knock on the door.

"I'll get it," Betty said, getting up off the ground, "It's probably one of the guys a few doors down."

She reached the door and opened it; instead of a random college kid, it was Harry Osborn.

Peter felt MJ stiffen at his side and bumped her foot with his own. "He's here for you. Go talk to him."

Harry then asked, "Hey, MJ, can we talk?" It was as if he read Peter's mind.

MJ started to reply, "No, sorry. We have movie night going on. Maybe tom—"

Peter slapped a hand over her mouth. "This is payback," he muttered in a low voice before turning around to face Harry. "She's not doing anything. Go ahead, MJ. _Talk to him."_ He pulled her up and pushed her toward Harry encouragingly. "Go. It'll be fine," he whispered.

As she left to stand outside with Harry, she shot him a murderous look.

He didn't worry too much about it, though; she needed it.

* * *

The door closed behind MJ, and she could hear Peter filling in Ned and Betty with the details of what was happening. She would kill him later, but right now, she had to focus on the big issue in front of her: Harry.

"So—" he began.

She started at the same time, "I'm sorry."

He paused for a minute. "Why are you sorry?" he asked, puzzled.

"I know you want more than what I'm giving you, and I'm sorry about that. It's just that I, uh, have trouble opening up to people, you know? So, I wanted to take it as slow as possible and see where it goes."

Harry nodded as he took in the information. "That's okay. If you don't want to be together, I understand."

"No! I want to. Um, Peter kind of knocked some sense into me." She laughed at the unintentional pun. "Literally."

"Huh?"

"We box, remember?"

"Oh, that's right."

"Whatever. My point is that I want to be with you. Like, _for real,_ be with you. I want everything: the flowers, the chocolate, the cuddling after sex. Actually, I hate flowers, so maybe not that."

Harry laughed. "That's okay. I'm _so_ glad you feel the way I do, MJ." He brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

MJ gave him a nervous smile. "Um, but if I ever become closed off, tell me. I may not be open immediately; it'll take some time. But I promise I'll get better at it. Yeah?" She nodded vigorously and took a sharp intake of breath.

"Hey, relax. I'm just happy you even like me. I'll give you as much time as it takes, okay?"

He held her hand in his own and tugged her closer until she got lost in his gorgeous blue eyes. She leaned up to meet him, and their lips connected.

For once, MJ didn't feel her anxiety holding her back. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his face down to her level. His hands came up to cup her face gently.

They finally broke apart, and they just grinned at each other breathlessly.

"Hi," she said in a breathy voice.

"Hi."

* * *

After giving Harry another quick kiss, MJ sent him back to his building.

She closed her door behind her and faced her three best friends.

"So?" Betty prompted her to speak.

"...I have an official boyfriend!" MJ squealed. (It was a strange thing for Peter and Ned to witness.)

"Ah!" Betty screamed, "I'm so fucking happy!" She bounded up to MJ and wrapped her into a tight hug.

"I mean, I _don't_ need a man. But still, this is character development! I'm not so emotionally damaged that I'm unable to be in a relationship!"

"Uh, okay," Ned said. "That's..." Betty hit his arm, and he let out a strangled noise. "That's great, MJ. I'm happy for you."

"See?" Peter told her in a low voice, "I told you that you could do it." He squeezed her in a hug and dropped a kiss to her forehead.

"Thank you, Peter."

"I'm always there for you, MJ. Don't forget that."

"I know."

"Okay, I feel like this deserves red wine," Betty called out.

MJ laughed and shook her head. She grabbed Peter's hand and dragged him over to Betty, who had already produced a cheap bottle of red wine from Wegmans.

"Tonight, we celebrate Peter and his ability to make MJ do things!" Betty cried.

"Hey! I was the one who did the hard work." MJ pretended to be offended.

"Thank you, Betty," Peter chimed in, "I _did_ get MJ off her ass."

"Okay, shut it, or I'm making the foot massage twenty minutes."

The four friends continued to talk over one another, and it was chaos. However, it was also the perfect moment, and it was like they were in their little bubble of happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked that! Obviously, Peter and MJ have not developed any romantic feelings yet, but have no fear. It will come (probably not soon, but it'll come). Send me compliments to validate me in the comments, and feel free to send constructive criticism as well! I really appreciate all of you, and I'll see you soon.  
> ~kitty22803


	9. Spring is Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four friends are eager to go home for spring break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my lovely readers. Today is a sad, solemn day. Sony and Marvel have canceled their agreement, and _Spider-Man_ is reportedly out of the MCU. While Tom Holland will still play Peter Parker for the next two _Spider-Man_ movies, this means that everything will change. This is horrible, and I really hope Sony changes their mind or Disney tries to renegotiate (it was definitely Sony's fault, but Disney has to do what they have to do). Yes, I understand both parties are at fault, but I genuinely hate Sony's movie-making when it comes to Spider-Man. I actually cried real tears over this, by the way; Spider-Man has always been my favorite besides Iron Man, and Tom Holland truly brought life to him in the best way possible. I believe that collaborating with Marvel Studios is part of what made that happen, and it breaks my heart that the partnership may be over. Besides _Into the Spider-Verse_ , Sony has always managed to mess up their Spider-Man franchises (we're not including _Venom_ because that movie was pretty good, surprisingly), and I'm really scared. However, we should all remain strong and hope that Tom Holland is enough to carry these movies on his back. Spider-Man, we're always with you, and I am truly sorry that this happened; Sony can rot in hell. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) Sony just now released a statement about it, but I really, really hope that it's fixable. I just want this one thing and nothing else. On that note, have fun reading.  
> On with the show!

More than half of March had already gone by, and MIT's spring break was coming up soon.

However, Peter was _not_ looking forward to spring break.

"Ugh, I can't believe your parents surprised you with a trip to Hawaii!" Peter groaned to Ned.

"Yeah, I didn't know, either! They just told me a few hours ago. I'm so sorry, dude," Ned apologized.

Peter's spring break was going to be very sad; May was going to be out of town for a work conference. Ned offered to let Peter stay at his place, but the Hawaii trip effectively ruined that. Yes, Peter could stay at his own apartment in Queens, but that was depressing, and he would be all alone.

"It's fine," he told Ned, "It's not your fault. I'll just stay here. I'll be fine. Besides, I'm pretty sure Harry's staying behind, too."

"Peter, you hate Harry."

"No... Hate is a strong term."

"Well, you guys may be getting along these days, but the relationship's pretty much nonexistent without MJ there. How about Gwen?"

Peter sighed. (He had taken Gwen out a few times already, and he was absolutely smitten.) "No," he mumbled in a glum voice, "She's going on a trip to Panama City Beach—you know, in Florida—with her best friend. Liz, I think?"

"Aw, that sucks, man. Shit, I'm really sorry."

"I told you: it's okay, Ned. I'll be fine. Just leave it alone."

Ned hesitated. "...Okay, Peter. Whatever you say."

"Okay, I have to get to class, so I'm going to go now."

Ned nodded and waved as Peter slipped out the door. Once he was gone, he sighed, thinking of ways he could help out Peter.

* * *

MJ stopped in front of the lecture hall with Harry.

"Okay, you should go before you're late," she told him softly.

"Yep." Harry nodded but made no attempts to let go of her hand or move away. Instead, he pressed his lips against MJ's, and she allowed him to kiss her before gently pushing him away.

"Okay, lover boy, get going," she joked. "We'll talk after class, okay?"

He blew her a kiss as he walked away, and she giggled like a middle schooler with a crush.

She then saw Peter in her peripheral and turned to face him.

"Hey," he greeted her. "What's up? How's the relationship?" He gestured vaguely toward where Harry had been.

"Peter, we literally saw each other, like, three hours ago."

"Wow. Sue me for being interested in my friend's life."

MJ paused and studied him. "Nah, I don't believe you. What's going on?"

"Nothing! I'm good."

MJ rolled her eyes. "Okay, Peter. We'll see about that."

* * *

MJ couldn't figure out what was bothering Peter, and it was irritating the hell out of her.

"Are you and Gwen already having problems?" she asked.

"What?" Peter exclaimed, "No! We've literally been dating for, like, two weeks!"

"Okay. Did _I_ do something?"

 _"No,_ MJ. Don't be fucking annoying."

"I will annoy the truth out of you."

He just shushed her and turned away.

* * *

MJ stayed silent until they reached their respective dorms.

Peter opened his door and revealed Ned watching _The Office_ on his laptop.

Ned looked up at them. "Oh, hey, MJ. How was your class?"

MJ waved him off. "It was fine. Ned, can you tell me what's wrong with Peter?"

"MJ," Peter hissed, "shut up. I told you I'm fine."

"Peter's aunt isn't going to be in town for spring break, and I'm going to Hawaii," Ned blurted out.

"Dude!"

"I'm sorry! She's intimidating!"

MJ interrupted their bickering, "Wait, that's it? That's what you're upset about?"

"I'm not upset," Peter snapped.

"Uh, yes, you are. You're clearly sad about it."

"That's what I said, too," Ned added.

"Thank you, Ned. I appreciate you backing me up. Peter, stop being sad," MJ demanded.

Peter furrowed his eyebrows. "That's not how that works. Also, I'm not sad. I'll be fine here." He glared at Ned when he said that, and Ned wilted just a little before straightening his back and returning the look with an equally fierce one.

MJ stepped in the middle of their staring contest. "Peter, where are you going to stay?"

"Okay, we've established this already. I'm staying here. Harry's here, too."

"You don't like Harry."

"Why do you guys keep on saying that? It's getting better!"

MJ gave a one-shouldered shrug. "Eh."

"Shut up."

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Hey, you guys! It's me, Betty!" Betty called. "I'm coming in." The lock clicked, and Betty pulled the door open. She walked in and waved at MJ and Peter before leaning down to give Ned a peck on the cheek. She then noticed the tense environment in the room. "What's going on?"

Peter threw his hands up. "Jesus fucking Christ, it's like you guys are mind-readers," he groaned.

"Ah-ha! So you _were_ upset; you wouldn't say that Ned and I read your mind unless we were right," MJ gloated.

"Fine. I'm sorry that I'd like to spend time with my aunt or people that I actually know well for spring break."

"Um, what's happening?" Betty asked with confusion appearing on her face.

Ned helpfully explained, "Peter's aunt is out of town, and I'm going to Hawaii, so he doesn't have anyone to visit during the break."

"Aw, no!"

"Yeah, he's sad."

Betty then turned toward Peter and MJ after pondering the situation. "Wait, MJ, just invite Peter over to your place."

Peter frantically shook his head. "No. No, MJ probably doesn't want me there, and I'm sure her mom is busy."

MJ was silent for a minute. She then replied, "You know what? Betty, that's a great idea. Shut up, Parker; you know you're always welcome. Come to the Bronx with me; you can even drive me there."

Ned chimed in, "You should go, Peter. You guys can FaceTime me in Hawaii and Betty in Phoenix, too!"

Peter looked at MJ for confirmation, and she nodded at him encouragingly. "Um," he began hesitantly, "okay. I'll come over."

"Yes! We did it, you guys," she told Ned and Betty with a smirk, "We managed to get Peter to be un-sad."

Peter faked a frown. "Oh, no, I'm still sad. You know what would make me happy, though?"

MJ gave him a side-eye. "What?"

"If you drove us there. You can use my car." He gave her a wide smile.

MJ groaned in defeat. "Ugh. Fine."

"Thank you, MJ, my best friend, my queen. I appreciate you."

"Don't push it, Peter. I'm only doing it because I need more practice driving before I get a car next semester."

"Okay, you keep telling yourself that."

* * *

The time for another road trip had come, and Peter was ecstatic about having someone to hang out with during the break (even though he didn't admit it).

He was in the middle of putting his dark wash jeans on when the door swung open to reveal MJ in one of his blue Midtown shirts (she occasionally stole his clothing, which was annoying) and a pair of neon green Nike shorts.

"Wow, don't you knock?" Peter asked.

"I think we're past that, Peter," she responded. She was probably right, as usual. "Come on; hurry up." She grabbed a random red shirt from his closet and threw it at him.

"Okay, okay. Give me a second." He pulled the shirt over and grabbed his little suitcase. He swung the backpack over his shoulder and tightened the straps a little. "Alright, I'm done."

"Great. Let's go. Give me your keys."

* * *

MJ realized that Peter was a really annoying road trip passenger.

He asked, "Are we there yet?"

MJ sighed and clenched her jaw. This was the fifth time he'd asked that in thirty minutes. "Get out."

"We're going seventy-five miles per hour down the highway in the middle of nowhere."

"Did I stutter?"

* * *

Peter groaned, "I think if I sit in this car any longer, my spine is going to cave in."

MJ almost hit her head against the steering wheel. "I'm pretty sure that's not how that works. Did you know you're a really annoying road trip passenger?"

"What? I'm a great passenger."

"No, you're a good _driver._ As a passenger, you fucking suck."

"Take that back."

* * *

"I swear we just passed that rest stop," Peter told MJ.

MJ was so close to strangling him. "Peter, all rest stops are the same rest stop. Please stop talking."

"Well, they should try having a variety of building designs or something, you know?"

"Be my guest. As long you _shut the fuck up,_ I don't care what you do."

"Okay, now I just feel attacked."

* * *

After four very long hours, Peter and MJ finally made it to MJ's apartment building.

MJ opened the car door and stretched her legs. "Oh, thank god we're here," she said to Peter.

"Yeah," he said, yawning loudly, "I'm so tired. I could totally use a nap."

"Oh, a nap sounds good. Alright, let's get our bags, and then we can _sleep."_

They both grabbed their bags and went up to MJ's mother's apartment.

MJ rang the doorbell, and seconds later, the door opened wide to reveal her excited mother.

"My baby!" she cried. "You're back! And you brought Peter! Hi, honey," she directed toward Peter.

"Hey, Ms. Jones," he said shyly, lifting a hand to wave at her.

"Come on in, kids. I ordered Thai food; MJ told me that it's one of your favorites." She gave Peter a warm smile.

Peter looked at MJ and grinned. "Aw, MJ, that's sweet."

MJ flushed and looked away. "Shut up."

"I love you, too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's done! The next chapter will focus on Peter and MJ in a situation without school; how will they handle this much time together? I guess you'll find out! Until next time...  
> ~kitty22803


	10. Ups and Downs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and MJ spend their spring break at MJ's childhood home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, you guys. So, as many of you may have heard, both Tom Holland and Kevin Feige have basically confirmed that Feige will not be part of _Spider-Man_ as the main producer ever again. There are rumors that he may be a consulting producer and there will be a new guy in place if the MCU does end up getting rights again, but things are looking bad. However, it seems like they're both pretty okay with what's happening, and Tom seemed excited no matter what. (Then again, Sony's his employer, and I think he'd rather have a job.) Once again, I'm not placing the blame on either side entirely, and it's nice to see that everyone involved in these movies is so optimistic. Hopefully, everything will work out the way we want it to. Love you guys 3000, and enjoy reading this next chapter!  
> On with the show!

"Will you be quiet?" MJ snapped.

Peter raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Okay, first of all, that's a card for talking. Also, I didn't fucking say anything!"

"Well, stop thinking so fucking loud!"

"Oh my god, you are unbelievable! Why did I ever think this was a good idea?"

There was a stack of cards on MJ's bedroom floor, and they both held a few of their own in their hands. They were playing the card game Mao, which revolved around not speaking the whole game and figuring out the rules as you went along. Her mother had gotten up to bring more snacks, so they were alone for a few minutes.

"I don't know, Peter. _You're_ the one who suggested it. God, you're just so annoying."

_"I'm_ annoying? Uh, you're literally the most irritating person on earth."

"That's not true. Take it back, or I'll _cut_ you. I won't hesitate, bitch."

"Okay, nice Vine reference. I appreciate that."

"Aw, thank you."

MJ's mom then walked back in with a pack of sour gummy worms (for Peter) and a bag of original Ruffles. "Michelle," she scolded playfully, "please don't kill Peter. I like him."

"See?" he taunted with a smirk, "Your mom _likes_ me."

"Shut up, Peter."

"Okay, kids, stop that now," MJ's mother interrupted with a laugh, "Let's get back to the game, okay?"

MJ stuck out her tongue at Peter and made a face at him. He playfully shoved her in response, and she gasped with fake outrage. "Oh, it's war now. I'm coming for you."

"I will remind you that I can box. You sure you can take me?"

"Peter, we literally box together, and I've kicked your ass multiple times."

"The details are unimportant..."

MJ scoffed. "I knew it."

MJ's mother just sat back and watched them bicker. Frankly, it was quite amusing and, honestly, kind of cute. (Of course, if she told MJ that, she would get her head bit off.)

* * *

"I can't believe it's already Wednesday night," Peter muttered in the dark of MJ's bedroom.

After an _intense_ game of Mao (for a game that the players couldn't even speak in, it got heated _fast),_ the three of them had ordered Domino's pizza for dinner while watching _To All the Boys I've Loved Before_ on Netflix. (Peter insisted that he picked it because he wanted MJ to actually enjoy the movie instead of being forced to watch _Star Wars_ with him, but MJ knew for a fact that Peter _loved_ a good rom-com. He was a little too excited for _To All the Boys I've Loved Before 2_ and _3,_ and he'd watched the first one at least five times.)

"I know," MJ whispered, "Damn, why do breaks always go by so fast?"

Peter was supposed to be on the air mattress that she'd set up in her room, but they'd scrapped that after a day. ("What? You know I run cold," he complained as he shoved his _really fucking cold_ feet on her legs, snuggling her to death.)

He stared at her face for a second before replying, "I guess time flies when you're having fun. Or whatever."

"Fun?"

"Shut up. You know you love having me here."

"...Sometimes."

"I'll take it."

"You know what we should do tomorrow?"

"What?"

"We should just alternate between sleeping and watching _Brooklyn Nine-Nine._ "

"That's a solid plan. Okay, let's do it."

"Okay." She grinned. "We're going to have so much fun."

* * *

"Parker, can you please go be stupid somewhere that's away from me?" MJ clenched her teeth and gave Peter a tight smile that was closer to a grimace.

"Wait, are you _mad_ at me? Are you for real right now?" he asked indignantly.

"I'm not mad; I'm just annoyed at you."

"There's really no reason—"

"Shut up, Peter. I understand you don't like Harry, but you can at least _try_ to pretend that you do."

"Why do you care so much about it now? You didn't a month ago!"

Peter and MJ's friendly banter had turned into a heated discussion about her new boyfriend, who also happened to be Peter's ex-best friend.

"Well, we were taking things slowly at that point. It's different now."

"Again: _why do you care?"_

MJ took a deep, calming breath. "You know what, Peter? I _am_ mad. I'm going into my room. You can do whatever the fuck you want. Don't fucking talk to me."

She got out of her spot on the couch at lightning speed and stalked to her room, slamming the door when she got inside.

Peter stared after her with his eyebrows furrowed and his mouth slightly open in surprise. What just happened?

* * *

By the time MJ's mom came back from work, Peter was still on the couch. He was just absentmindedly staring at the TV, not really paying attention to whatever was going on in _Brooklyn Nine-Nine._

"Hey, hon," her mom called to him, "Did you two eat the lasagna I made this morning?"

He shook his head. "But I will," he added hurriedly.

She laughed. "It's alright, Peter. No need to panic. Hey, where's Michelle?"

"She's, uh, in her room." Peter neglected to mention their current predicament.

"Great. Thank you, Peter. I'll go see what she's up to."

Peter sighed as she disappeared down the hallway toward MJ's room. This was a mess.

* * *

MJ heard the door open, and she quickly wiped her eyes.

"Hey, Michelle," her mom said, "Peter told me you were here."

"Um, hi, Mom." She lifted her head and gave her mom a weak smile.

"Baby, you okay?" MJ's mom asked in a concerned tone.

"...No."

"Oh, honey." Her mom rushed over to envelop her into a tight hug. "What's going on?"

"Um, Peter and I had a fight."

"About what?" Her mother finally released her and held her at arm's length, her eyes studying MJ carefully.

"Do you remember my boyfriend, Harry?"

"Yes..."

"He and Peter were best friends once. The friendship fell apart, and Peter's still bitter about it."

"Oh. Wow, okay. Does Peter want you to break up with him? That doesn't seem like something he'd do."

"No, he's fine with that. It's just that he's so... _ugh._ He literally says two words to Harry every time he's over. I'm tired of him not attempting to patch things up."

MJ's mom closed her eyes and sighed. "Oh, Michelle. Have you ever considered that Harry doesn't want to, either? It may be a mutual agreement to keep things calm."

"But Harry said—"

"Hon, think about it. He probably said that so you'd be happy. Besides Betty, I don't think I've ever seen you so close with anyone. He's one of your best friends, and Harry wants to respect that, obviously."

MJ hesitated. "...Oh."

"Yeah. I know you're upset, sweetie, but, sometimes, the most important people in your life just don't get along. You can't do anything about it."

MJ looked down at her fidgeting hands, avoiding her mother's eyes. She nodded and swallowed. "Um, I don't... I don't want to talk to him right now."

"That's okay, baby. I'll deal with it. But you will have to face him at some point; you know that, right?"

"I know."

"Okay. Goodnight, hon."

"'Night, Mom."

* * *

MJ's mom had come in after her talk with MJ with the air mattress and set it up in the living room. She gave him a sympathetic smile as she left, ruffling his hair and whispering that it'd be alright.

He was currently mindlessly scrolling through Instagram; he liked a picture of a gorgeous sunset that Ned had posted.

Suddenly, he had a thought; he should call Betty! She'd know what to do.

He quickly swiped out of Instagram and went to the FaceTime app, clicking on Betty's name. The caller ID showed up on his phone, and a couple rings sounded before she picked up.

"Hi, Peter. Isn't it, like, one in the morning there?" she asked.

"You know I don't sleep until, like, three," he replied with a laugh.

"Okay, fair enough. What's up?"

"Um, I kind of have a problem."

"I need specifics, Peter."

"An MJ problem."

_"Oh._ What's going on?"

"She's kind of... mad at me. Before you say anything, she was totally being unreasonable."

"And you called me why?"

"I need advice. As annoying as MJ's being right now, I can't lose my best friend—don't tell Ned—over something so stupid."

"And what is this 'something stupid'?"

"She's mad that I'm not making an effort to be better friends with Harry."

"Well..."

"No. You're supposed to be Switzerland, Betty!"

"I am! This is just my objective viewpoint. I'm not saying you need to be ride or die with Harry, but you should attempt to be acquaintances, at least."

"I'm okay with him. I just don't care much for his company."

"Listen, Peter. I know it seems MJ doesn't give a shit about anything or anyone, but she does."

"I _know_ that."

"Be quiet," she demanded, "Let a woman speak, dude. Anyway, you've become one of her best friends _ever._ She values your opinion, and you've always hated him. It makes her... doubt herself. You can't do that, man."

Peter remained silent for a moment. "It's just... Harry and I fell apart because of his dad, but he could've chosen not to do what he did. I mean, he spread rumors about May and me—and, uh, Ben—and that hurt. I wouldn't have cared if it had just been me, but he and his dad tried to talk shit about _May and Ben._ That's not cool."

"I know, Peter, I know. I think you need to talk to her."

He nodded. "Uh," he took a deep breath and continued, "yeah. I will. Tomorrow."

Betty gave him a thin smile. "You guys will be fine, Peter. Don't stress, okay? Your anxiety is crazy sometimes," she warned him. "It's actually alarming."

"Okay, I don't need a play-by-play of my life problems, Betty." He let out a huff of laughter.

She rolled her eyes. "Bye, Peter. Don't be an idiot."

"That's my middle name."

"It's Benjamin."

"And... now you've ruined it."

* * *

MJ woke up at about ten in the morning the next day. She groaned when she cracked open her eyes; the intense sunlight made her eyes water, and she closed them again.

After a few minutes, she finally dragged herself out of bed and into the hallway. She made her way to the kitchen and went to go grab the cereal from the cabinet. She reached up to grab the box of Lucky Charms ("They taste good! Don't judge," she would always tell her mother) and headed to the fridge to grab the milk.

Then, out the corner of her eye, she spotted a frozen Peter with a spoon of his own Lucky Charms halfway to his mouth. She spun around to face him, her face blank.

"I'm sorry," they both blurted out at the same time.

"Um," MJ continued after an awkward silence, "I'm sorry about yesterday."

"No, _I'm_ sorry. I should at least try to be friendlier with Harry."

MJ shook her head. "I shouldn't have asked you. I know what he's done, but I didn't think about it."

"It's, uh... it's okay. God, you know I would do anything for you."

"You don't have to."

"I _want_ to. I can't promise you Harry and I ever be as close as you want us to be, but I can, you know, trash him a little less." He smiled a little and got up from his seat. He made his way to her and drew her close into a bone-crushing hug. "Is that okay?"

She nodded into his chest. "Okay," she whispered, "Thank you."

He pressed a kiss into her hair, and they stayed like that for a long time.

When they finally pulled back, Peter studied her and told her, "We have to catch up on Brooklyn Nine-Nine."

_"Yes._ Let's make it a game. Each time Jake makes a _Die Hard_ reference, we have to do twenty sit-ups," she replied enthusiastically.

"Thirty-second wall sits if Terry mentions yogurt."

"Oh, I know. If Charles says anything remotely sexual or is gay for Jake, we have to do forty push-ups."

"Ugh, that sounds torturous. I love it."

And when MJ's mom found them struggling to do forty more push-ups late into the night, she just laughed and shook her head. As she was leaving for work, she noticed that they were both knocked out on Peter's sad air mattress. MJ's hair was partially in Peter's mouth, and his hand seemed to be crushed by her body. But they were snuggled together perfectly, and MJ's mother draped a large blanket over them. She couldn't hide her smile as she watched them sleep; maybe one day, her daughter would realize what was right in front of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was that too dramatic? I think I made it the right amount of dramatic, but let me know! Just a little note: Mao is actually a real game and is so fun. You guys should definitely try playing it. Anyway, let me know your thoughts in the comments, and leave kudos! It encourages me to edit super fast and get all these chapters out. Until next time!  
> ~kitty22803


	11. Goodbye (But Not Forever)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freshman year of college was coming to a close, and summer was finally here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I'm back with yet another chapter, and this one's big. Our favorites are finally completing their first year of college! I wanted to skip over the last few months of their first year and just skip to late May (which is when MIT's final exams are, by the way). I'm excited to get to their sophomore year; maybe we'll finally see something happen... Anyway, have fun reading! I hope you like it!  
> On with the show!

Peter walked out of his exam, feeling pretty confident. MJ, Betty, and Ned walked out soon after him.

"Okay, that was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be," Ned said, "I regret losing all that sleep to study."

MJ spoke up, "Thank god exams are over. We can go home now, you guys."

Peter groaned, "I _know._ I'm exhausted."

Betty then added, "Guys, we _have_ to meet up over the summer."

MJ nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we all don't live that far away from each other. Harry and I have already planned to go out for lunch."

MJ and Harry were still going strong after a few months. Peter had attempted to patch things up with him, and while things weren't perfect, they were better than before.

Betty hummed. "Ned, babe, we have to meet, too."

Ned just smiled and nodded in agreement. He was engrossed in some Lego set on eBay and didn't look up from his phone.

Peter fell back to walk beside MJ, letting Ned and Betty go ahead of him. "Hey," he greeted her, nudging her shoulder.

"Hi, Peter. What do you want?"

"Wow. Do I have to have a reason to talk to my best friend?"

"Yes."

He gasped. "Ouch. I'm hurt. I wanted to tell you that I'd miss you and that we should hang out, but now I think I'm just going to keep my mouth shut."

"No, no, go on. Don't let me stop you."

He tilted his head, a smirk appearing on his face. "Sorry. Missed opportunity."

MJ tugged on her shirt and looked down at her black Converse. "I'll miss you, too."

"Aw, MJ..."

"Don't say a word. I will put out a hit on you."

Peter raised his hands in defense. "Damn, okay."

Her hand grazed his, and they linked pinkies for a moment before letting go.

MJ continued, "You have to visit. I'm thinking about getting a cat this summer because Betty and I aren't going to be in a dorm anymore."

"...MJ, you just killed your cactus the other day. A fucking _cactus."_

"Things will be different this time!" she protested.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Shut it, Parker, and keep walking."

* * *

About three weeks after summer started, MJ met Harry for lunch at a local pizza joint in lower Manhattan called John's of Bleecker Street.

She stepped out of her taxi and handed the driver a wad of cash before closing the car door. She walked towards the pizzeria, bouncing with excitement and nervousness.

Then, she spotted Harry waiting outside the building, and her face broke out into a wide grin.

She rushed toward him and almost knocked him over with a hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and burrowed her face into his shoulder. They stayed like that for a moment, much to the chagrin to the other pedestrians.

When she finally pulled back a little, she pressed a quick kiss to his lips before letting go of him completely. "Hi," she whispered.

"Hi," he responded, "I missed you."

"Come on. I'm hungry." She grabbed his wrist and practically dragged him into the restaurant.

He laughed and went along with her without protest. "How's your summer been so far?"

As they went to a booth in the corner, she replied, "Good. Mom said we'd go car shopping next week, so I'm excited about that."

"Oh, that's great, MJ. I know you've been waiting for that for a while now."

She laughed. "Yeah, I'm anxious to be able to drive myself once I get back to college."

A waitress came up to them to receive their order; they ended up deciding on a large pizza with fresh basil and fresh tomatoes as toppings on it.

As the two each took a cheesy slice, they caught each other up with what they had been doing in their free time.

"Hey," Harry began, "did you happen to steal one of my Midtown shirts?"

"What?"

"You're wearing a Midtown shirt right now. Is that mine?" he asked with an amused laugh.

"Oh! Right, this. No, I stole it from Peter," she told him, focusing on her second pizza slice.

Harry froze and flinched a little. "Oh..."

MJ looked up. "You good?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he pressed out, glaring at the slice of pizza in his hand.

"Okay..." She then got an excited look on her face. "Oh, did I tell you about my plans to adopt a cat?"

* * *

MJ and Harry walked out with separate to-go boxes.

"Do you want to come back with me?" she asked shyly. Harry opened his mouth, then closed it. "Oh, I mean, if you don't want to—"

"No!" he exclaimed, "No, I'll come with you."

She gave him a bright smile and went to the curb. They both flagged down a taxi and quickly got in.

Soon enough, they were at her apartment building.

MJ fumbled with her key, but she finally managed to open the door. Her mom would be gone for at least a few more hours, so they had time to kill.

Suddenly, as she left herself and Harry in, a few people jumped up from behind the couch, yelling, "Surprise!"

Although she wasn't as shocked to see her mother or Betty, her eyes widened when she saw Ned and Peter standing beside them.

"Peter!" she said in shock, "I thought you and May weren't getting back from Malibu until next week."

He shrugged and grinned at her. "I lied. You can blame your mom."

"Wow," Ned interjected, "what am I? Chopped liver?"

"Aw, sorry, Ned," MJ apologized. "Come here, you guys."

They all came in for a group hug—Betty included—and stayed that way for a minute.

After breaking apart, they remembered that Harry was still standing there awkwardly.

"Oh," MJ recalled, "I brought Harry here. Great timing, I guess." (It didn't seem like _Harry_ thought it was great timing.)

Peter raised his hand in a short wave. "Hey, Harry. What's up, man?"

Harry narrowed his eyes slightly before glancing over at MJ. "Um, nothing much. Just... you know, summer." He shrugged.

Peter nodded slowly, raising an eyebrow. "Right..."

"Um, MJ," Harry said, turning back to his girlfriend, "I just remembered that I have to go do something for my dad later today. I'll, uh, see you later?"

She gave him a kind smile. "Yeah. Bye." She gave him a one-armed hug and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

He nodded before taking a shaky breath and heading out.

As he made his way to the door behind him, he heard her mom say, "Michelle, you didn't tell me that date was today! I'm sorry, sweetheart."

What broke his heart was what MJ said next: "It's okay, Mom. My three best friends are here, all together. I'm happy with that."

"Um, MJ, is that my t-shirt?" Peter asked. Harry had to close his eyes and take a deep breath to keep from storming back in there.

"Yeah, sorry," she said with no sorrow in her voice, "It was nice, so I stole it."

"Wow."

"Yeah, I have your MIT sweatshirt, too. And some of those stupid science pun t-shirts."

"Just putting it out there, huh? Have you no shame, woman, for leaving me without a wardrobe? You literally hate my pun shirts so much, and yet you choose to take them."

"Don't be dramatic, Peter. I know you stole my sweatpants."

"It was one pair! And I thought they were mine! And by the time I realized they weren't, it was too late."

"My legs are longer than yours. You should've known."

"Okay, now you're just attacking me. It's not my fault I'm short."

Harry quickly closed the door and let out a heavy breath. He didn't need to hear any more; he'd heard enough.

What if MJ...? No. He shook his head. He trusted MJ; she wouldn't do that to him. He couldn't afford to think that.

Harry straightened his back and walked to the elevator, pressing the down button. It would be fine. It _had_ to be.

* * *

The four of them were huddled on the living room floor. Their eyes were drooping, and they could barely focus on whatever episode of _New Girl_ was currently playing. Empty take-out containers sat on the long-abandoned couch.

MJ's mom walked in. She took one look at them and burst out laughing. "You kids are insane," she told them.

MJ groaned, "Mom, it's our _New Girl_ marathon. Don't judge."

"I'm not; I'm just saying... maybe you guys should sleep. The boys have to get back tomorrow."

"Sleep is overrated," Peter's muffled voice came through.

Then, Ned let out a loud snore, and Betty jolted awake. "I'm awake. What's happening?"

"Alright, you guys," MJ's mother told them, "It's time to turn off the TV and _sleep._ _"_ She grabbed the remote before anyone could protest and exited out of Netflix. "Goodnight, you guys."

She didn't receive a response; they were already out cold. She shook her head and smiled to herself. It was like managing a group of toddlers.

MJ's mom had never seen her daughter so happy. As she stuck a pillow under each kid, she thought about how lucky she was that her daughter had found such amazing friends. She brushed the hair away from MJ's face and kissed her forehead. She crept back to her room to avoid waking them up; she'd lecture them tomorrow about sleeping at a reasonable time, but for now, the moment was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe my babies have just finished freshman year at MIT! Yes, I know I made it happen, but it still makes me... proud? Anyway, are there any New York people here who know John's? It's one of New York's oldest pizzerias, and I just had to include it. Also, it was approximately a half hour away from both Queens (specifically Forest Hills, which is Peter grew up in the comics; I figured Harry was from there as well because he went to Midtown in this) and the Bronx, which is what I wanted. Also, do you think the way I wrote Harry's jealousy worked? I tried to make it so that he would be jealous because of something really stupid that MJ and Peter have been doing for a while—even before Harry showed up. Anyway, make sure to leave kudos and comments! The next chapter will be out soon!  
> ~kitty22803


	12. Back Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophomore year was finally here, and the four were moving off-campus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, before I say anything else, thank you all so much for your amazing comments! You guys are all so supportive, and I truly appreciate everyone for their love and support. Also, just a quick thing: someone mentioned Gwen in the comments, and I’d like to address that. Gwen is alive and well; I’ve just been focusing on developing Harry and MJ’s relationship more before even thinking about Gwen and Peter. I promise that you’ll see her much more in sophomore year. Enjoy reading!  
> On with the show!

MJ nudged the door open wider with her shoulder, carrying two heavy boxes in her arms.

"Betty," she called, "can you bring Truffle's food bag from the hallway? And the canned food too?"

"Okay, I got it," her best friend told her, heading out to grab said items.

Truffle was MJ's new black kitten. He was only eight weeks old when she brought him home from the shelter; that was two weeks ago.

Betty walked back in with a gigantic bag of dry kitten food and a box containing canned wet food for kittens. "Do you have any idea when Ned and Peter are getting here?" she asked.

The four had coordinated their apartment search, and MJ and Betty had found an affordable place with another apartment right across the hall for Peter and Ned.

"Peter said that they're about fifteen minutes away. Ned insisted on a funeral for Monkey before they left."

"Of course he did. Thank god they moved in last week, or else they'd take forever."

MJ grimaced. "I can't believe they're late because of a fucking fish."

"They're basically five-year-olds, so they get attached."

MJ laughed. "I'm going to get Truffle. Give me a second."

She walked to her new bedroom and opened the door. Truffle's carrier was on her bed, and inside, the little kitten was fast asleep.

While she didn't want to wake Truffle, she knew it would be better if he had more space to move around. She tried to open the latch on the carrier as quiet as possible. She reached in and gently picked up Truffle. Truffle slightly opened his eyes and squirmed a little before settling back in. She held him close to her chest, pressing her face into his soft fur. His one white paw in the front reached up and rested on her neck.

Betty chose to enter the room at that moment, and she squealed when she saw Truffle. "Aw! I know I've seen him almost every day, but I can't get enough of him. He's so cute! Aren't you, baby?" she cooed, scratching behind his ears.

MJ aggressively shushed Betty. "He's sleeping," she hissed.

"Oops." She added, "Hey, by the way, Ned called. They're about five minutes out."

"Oh, good. Peter owes me fifty bucks."

Betty gave her a look. "Why?"

"Oh, you know..." MJ waved her hand around the space.

"...No, I don't."

"Uh..."

"What?"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door before the door swung wide open to reveal Peter and Ned (the group already exchanged spare keys, which is why they were able to get into the apartment), saving MJ from having to give Betty an explanation.

"Hi, boys," Betty greeted, "How was the ride up?" She kissed Ned and gave Peter a side hug.

"We lost our beloved Monkey last night," Ned said solemnly.

Betty nodded with a look of indifference. "So I've heard."

"Hey, don't give me that look. Monkey was family."

"Yep."

Peter, seemingly not caring as much about his dead fish, asked excitedly, "Is that Truffle?" He gestured toward the small bundle in MJ's arms.

MJ smiled. "Yeah. He's sleeping, though, so you can hold him once he's awake."

"Aw, he's so cute!"

"I know. And you said I couldn't take care of a cat." She paused for a moment. "Hey, before I forget, can I have my money?"

"Shit, I was hoping you'd forget about that."

She gave him a wry smile. "No such luck. Hand it over, Parker."

"Fine," he groaned before pulling a wrinkled fifty-dollar bill out of his back pocket and slamming it onto the kitchen counter. "I can't believe I lost. It was supposed to be an easy win."

"I always win."

"Shut up."

"Can someone tell me what this bet is?" Betty asked with immense curiosity.

Both MJ and Peter responded at the same time, "No."

* * *

"Peter!" Gwen called.

Peter, her boyfriend, spun around and spotted her in the crowd.

He grinned as she grew closer. They had made sure that they at least a few classes together, and they were going to walk to their first class. "Hey. I missed you," he mumbled as he leaned down to capture her lips.

"Hi. I can't believe I haven't seen you since the beginning of June. It's already September now!" she exclaimed.

"I know, but you live in California. If May hadn't had that work conference, I don't even know if I would've gotten to see you at all."

Gwen gave him a sympathetic smile. "I get it. Anyway," she continued, grabbing his hand, "are MJ, Betty, and Ned going to be in this class?"

Gwen didn't know Peter's best friends all that well, but she knew they were important to him. Besides, they were all so welcoming when she and Peter first started dating.

"Um... honestly, I don't even know what class we're going to. We all only have one class together this time. MJ and I have more, though. I obviously saw them all this morning, but we were all a little tired, so I forgot to ask where they were all going."

Gwen laughed. "We're going to Differential Equations, Peter."

"Oh, that's great! That's the class with everyone in it. Harry, too. That's not as great, but whatever."

Gwen nodded absentmindedly and scrolled through Instagram.

Peter continued to talk excitedly about his classes this semester while Gwen just smiled and nodded.

A text popped up from her best friend, Liz: _Hey, gal. Have you seen Peter yet? How is he? Cute as ever, I assume._

Gwen giggled at that. She replied almost instantly. _I'm walking to class with him right now! He's doing great, but please stop hitting on my boyfriend. :P_

When Peter had gone to visit Gwen in California, he had also met Liz. Of course, she had immediately given him a shovel talk; he was still a little scared of her. The fact that she was two years older than them and was well on her way to becoming a lawyer at Harvard Law School made it even scarier.

Liz texted back. _:) You know I'm kidding, hon. Go get your man._

Gwen smiled wide before looking back up at a rambling Peter. "Peter," she interrupted.

"Huh?" he looked at her with wide eyes. "What?"

"You're rambling."

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's okay. It's just that we're here, so I'd like to make it to class on time. Unlike you." She scrunched her nose at him and giggled.

"Hey! I'm on time!"

"Peter, you're never on time."

He gasped. "Take that back, you horrible woman. I can't believe the girl I'm dating is verbally abusing me," he declared dramatically.

"Oh my god, Peter."

* * *

Peter laid his head in MJ's lap, closing his eyes. They'd both come back to her apartment after a long first day.

"Get off, Peter," she told him, making no effort to do anything. She didn't seem to care all that much.

"I'm so fucking tired already. Why isn't school over? And _why_ did I decide to go to MIT?" Peter complained to the ceiling.

"I don't know, Peter. We've already established that we're all masochists." She ran her fingers through his soft hair, brushing it out of his eyes. "You need a haircut."

"I do," Peter admitted, "I didn't have time before I left Queens."

MJ just hummed in response.

"You know," he continued, "May used to cut it when I was a kid. Her mom was a hairstylist, so she learned how to do it from her."

"Huh. I could cut it for you."

Peter bolted up and turned to face MJ. "Absolutely not. Nope."

"Why not? I'm a trustworthy person!"

Betty and Ned chose that moment to walk in.

"It's true," Ned agreed, "She is very trustworthy."

Peter glared in his best friend's direction. "Ned!"

"What? You know I'm not wrong."

"She can't cut my hair. No." Peter shook his head until his head spun.

"Actually," Betty told him, "MJ cut my bangs once—don't judge me; it was a phase—and they turned out really well."

"...I'll think about it."

"Yes!" MJ cheered. "That's a win."

The door opened to reveal Harry. "What's a win?" he asked curiously.

"Peter's letting me cut his hair."

Peter scoffed. "Don't get ahead of yourself; I said I'd think about it."

"Close enough. It's happening, you guys."

* * *

After several minutes of persuading, the other three had convinced Peter to get a haircut from MJ.

Harry just stood aside and watched the rapport with a small smile. It was pretty hilarious to see how they interacted with each other.

MJ was already rushing to the bathroom to grab a towel. ("I didn't say _now!"_ Peter protested.) Ned and Betty were watching gleefully as Peter mildly panicked.

The door swung open to reveal Gwen. (It was getting a little crowded in the apartment.) "Hey, Peter," she said breathlessly, "I figured you'd be in here. What's going on?"

Ned waved at her. "Hey, Gwen! MJ's cutting Peter's hair."

"Oh. Okay. I'd like to see that."

"Come join us! We brought snacks!"

Peter added with a huff, "Snacks? This isn't a movie! Where'd you even get those from? Is that popcorn?"

MJ emerged from the background, carrying a pair of scissors. "Peter, chill out." He just glared at her and crossed his arms in defiance. MJ rolled her eyes before grabbing his arm to drag him to the sad, lonely breakfast chair in the kitchen. "Sit. It's going to be great."

* * *

Everyone except the "OGs" had left the apartment a few hours later, and now the four were sitting on MJ's extremely comfortable couch from Ikea, watching _Legally Blonde_.

"I hate to admit it," Peter began, "but you did a good job with my hair, MJ."

"I told you," she said in a sing-song voice. "I'm just great at life, in general."

"That is... inaccurate."

"Um, no, it's not."

"Did you forget week one of IAP?"

"That didn't happen. You agreed we'd never speak of it, _Peter."_ MJ gave him an aggressive shove.

"I'm just saying..."

"Well, _don't._ I'd like to live denial forever, thank you very much."

Ned and Betty rolled their eyes at their friends' antics. It was all fun and games until their favorite movie was interrupted. (Well, it was _Betty's_ favorite movie. Ned was just whipped.)

Betty shushed them both. "Guys, shut up! This is the best part!"

They fell silent but continued to mock each other by kicking each other and pulling faces at one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, now you guys know why Peter was in Malibu in the last chapter! I told you that I didn't forget about Gwen. The thing about my third person is that it's not completely omniscient at every moment. It switches point of view quite often, so I just conveniently didn't mention Gwen at all when I got to Harry's point of view last chapter. To Harry, Gwen is just a blip (oops, pun not intended) on the radar, so there's no need to bring her up. Of course, MJ also didn't bother to bring her up in the actual conversation _during_ Harry's point of view. I wonder why... Anyway, I love you guys 3000! Make sure to comment and give kudos, and I'll see you next time!  
> ~kitty22803


	13. Realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MJ and Harry run into some problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, you guys! I can't believe I've made it this far into this work. Thank you for sticking by me this whole time, and I really appreciate all of you. So, we're going to get into more drama in this chapter. By the way, this takes place in late October. I'm so excited for you guys to see where this goes!  
> On with the show!

MJ lay on the gym floor, staring up at the ceiling. Peter stumbled to sit down, and he ended up on the floor next to her.

He inched closer to her and turned his head to the side to grin at her. "Damn, I'm really fucking tired."

MJ lifted her hands to her head. "I'm dying," she groaned. She squeezed her eyes shut.

Peter just made a strangled noise in response.

"Uh, MJ?" came a voice out of nowhere.

MJ cracked her eyes open and saw Harry standing over her. "Oh. Hi, Harry. Give me a second, yeah?"

She braced herself and lifted herself off the ground, placing her hands on the floor for support. She held out a hand to Peter, who grabbed it and pulled himself up.

He gave her a cute smile with his face all scrunched up. "I'll see you after class, right?" he asked her.

"Don't you have a date with Gwen?"

"Yeah, but that's at, like, six. Also, it's sweet that you know my schedule."

MJ scoffed and looked away in embarrassment. She tried to play it off. "What else would I do? You can't even remember movie nights, and we have one every week. And don't think I forgot that time you blew us off to have sex. I'm still scarred for life."

"It was _one_ time, MJ. Have you forgotten Ned and Betty?"

MJ rolled her eyes. "Ugh, fine. You have a point." She lightly kicked his shin. "Alright, idiot. I'm out of here. See you."

Peter lifted his hand in farewell, making his way to his gym bag. "Say hi to Truffle for me!"

She called back, "I will _not._ You almost killed him the other day!"

"That was Ned!"

* * *

Harry reached for MJ's hand. His chest was tight as he saw Peter walk away.

"Hey, ready to go?" he asked her.

"Uh, yeah." MJ blinked her eyes a couple times and gazed up at him. "Thanks for picking me up. Peter drove me here—you know I hate driving—but he has class now. We didn't feel like running today."

"Yeah, of course. Anytime, MJ." He leaned down to give her a quick kiss. "Uh, you and Peter seem to be close."

MJ let out a short laugh. "Yeah. We're best friends, Harry; remember?"

He hesitated for a moment. "Uh, right... Is there, um, is there something there that I don't know about?"

_"What?"_

Harry just stared at his girlfriend, swallowing loudly.

"Are you fucking kidding me? No! Harry, I'm dating _you._ Peter and I are just friends. Maybe if you got rid of your fucking toxic masculinity, you'd be able to accept it."

MJ yanked her hand away from his, storming toward his car angrily.

Harry rushed after her. "MJ, I—"

"Please shut the fuck up."

They both got into the car silently. MJ slammed the passenger door shut, and she yanked the seatbelt around her. She glared at the window with a vengeance.

"I cannot fucking _believe_ you," she fumed.

Harry sighed. "I'm sorry."

MJ just crossed her arms and ignored him.

* * *

MJ paced around the room.

"I can't believe he fucking had the _nerve_ to say that to me!" she ranted to Betty.

Betty nodded sympathetically. "I know, hon. We don't let toxic masculinity into this house."

"Like... does he not trust me? Like, what the fuck is that? I've been a great girlfriend, and I've always been really supportive. Why would he think Peter and I have a thing?"

"I don't know, MJ."

"And Peter and I have been friends for longer than I've known Harry. I can't just _drop_ Peter. He's, like, my best friend. Besides you. And... _ugh!"_ MJ dropped her head into her hands. "I'm going to kill him."

"MJ, _no."_

* * *

Betty watched her best friend panic, and she almost laughed. It's not like she meant to; it's just that MJ and Peter had always... _clicked._ Whether they were into each other or not didn't matter; the truth is Harry had a reason to worry, even if Peter stayed a platonic friend forever. (That being said, he had _no_ right to accuse MJ of having a thing for Peter when he was in a committed relationship with her.) MJ would always choose Peter over Harry, and Harry knew that.

"Babe, you have to calm down," she told MJ.

"How can I? I'm _really fucking mad."_

"Okay... You're going to fucking hate me for this."

MJ furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"

"Have you considered that he's right?"

MJ just stared at her with her mouth open. "You have to be kidding me."

Betty pursed her lips. "I mean..."

"Oh my god."

"MJ—"

"Oh my god!"

"Girl, chill out."

"Why do people always think I'm into him? This has been happening since forever. Shit, Betty, not you, too."

Betty raised an eyebrow. "Who else?"

"Huh?"

"Who else thought you were into him?"

"...My mom."

That's when Betty knew. _Dear god, my best friend is in love with my boyfriend's best friend, who's also_ my _best friend. And she doesn't even know it. Shit,_ she thought to herself. MJ's mother had the most incredible "mother's intuition" that Betty had ever seen. She was able to spot things about MJ that even MJ couldn't pick up on. If her mother had noticed, it was _real._

"MJ..."

MJ closed her eyes. "I know what you're thinking. Don't fucking say it, Betty."

"...I'm going to say it. Your mom knows everything. It's her intuition, MJ. You can't deny it; you've told me about it several times."

"No. Nope. I can't. Betty, I _can't."_ MJ's voice broke a little at the end. "I'm with Harry. Peter's with Gwen. We're _best friends._ I can't ruin that; I just can't risk it."

Betty just gave her a soft smile, taking her hands. "Oh, MJ..."

MJ let out a shaky breath, squeezing Betty's hands. "Oh my god, I'm in love with Peter Parker." She laughed mirthlessly. "I'm so fucked."

* * *

MJ fidgeted with her navy blue Peels shirt. Although she was wearing her dark green shorts and it was the middle of fall in fucking Massachusetts, she felt like it was a thousand degrees in front of Harry's small apartment. She adjusted her black-and-gray-striped crop top nervously before knocking on the door.

At first, no one came to the door, and MJ started to panic. Then, the door swung open to reveal an upset-looking Harry. He looked at her, his eyes narrowing. "Hi," he greeted her shortly.

MJ took a deep breath. "Hi, Harry. Can I come in?"

He nodded, pulling the door open a little more for her to walk in.

"Um," she started, "okay. We have to talk." She refused to raise her eyes from her blue Converse.

Harry sighed. "I know."

They both stayed silent for a minute before MJ blurted out, "I'm breaking up with you."

Harry didn't look too surprised. "Okay." He stayed silent after that.

"Harry—"

"You love him, don't you?"

"...Yes."

Harry turned his head, blinking rapidly. "Okay."

"I'm sorry for yelling at you. I don't think I even realized."

"I know."

"God, you can _please_ talk for more than two syllables at a time?" MJ begged.

"MJ, I don't—I don't know what to say to you. You're dumping me for a guy who's hated me for the majority of his life. And I haven't exactly been the nicest to him, either."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I just... can't control it." Her throat hurt when she swallowed down her tears. "We can't even be together. He has Gwen. And our friendship would probably be ruined."

"So... _stay_ with me, MJ." Harry took hold of her hands, pulling her closer. "You can't have him, even if you want him."

MJ shook her head, pulling her hands away to wipe away a few stray tears. "Harry, you know I can't do that."

His head dipped, and his jaw clenched. "I know."

MJ took a deep breath, mustering up all her courage. "Take care, Harry." She lifted a hand up to his cheek for just a moment. "I'm going to miss you."

"Me, too." Harry gave her a soft smile before leaning down to pull her close and kiss her forehead. "Don't be a stranger."

She wrapped her arms around his waist, squeezing him for a second. "I won't."

They both let go of each other. MJ gave him a genuine smile before turning around to walk out the door.

She didn't know what she would do next. But it was like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, that happened. Okay, I'm not going to lie: the beginning scene was kind of based on a video of Noah Centineo and Lana Condor working out. It's from a while ago, but it's honestly the cutest thing, so I thought it would be a nice way to begin the chapter! For some reason, I just really like the idea of Peter and MJ being total fitness bros. Also, in regards to Harry's little toxic masculinity thing: I do realize I'm literally setting this up so that Peter and MJ will go from friends to dating. I'm sorry, okay? Nobody's perfect. I still stand by the fact that men and women can be in completely platonic relationships. ...Like Betty and Peter! Wow, that took me way too long to remember. I promise I know the characters I'm writing. And last thing: the outfit MJ was wearing is worn by Rue in Euphoria in episode seven (except for the shoes; she usually wore blue Converse on the show, though, so close enough; also, I can’t remember if the dark green shorts were actually pants, but that’s fine)! I loved that outfit and _had_ to include it at some point. Anyway, I always appreciate comments and kudos! See you guys next time!  
> ~kitty22803


	14. Pining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After MJ has realized her true feelings for Peter, she struggles to keep them down for the sake of Peter's relationship with Gwen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys! I'm so glad that everyone liked the last chapter so much! I truly tried to make it so that they parted on good terms because I believe that, no matter what, Harry would always want MJ to be happy. Despite his jealousy, he's able to overcome that and actually support her decision. I hope everyone saw that. Also, this is set a couple months after MJ's discovery of her feelings, so I'm thinking this one will be right before winter break (because the last one was set in late October). Okay, I'm done.  
> On with the show!

MJ was pulling a chair up to the kitchen counter with her bowl of Lucky Charms when Gwen emerged from Peter's room (an upside to living in an apartment was that everyone had their own rooms now, so no more walking in on each other—for the most part, at least) on a Sunday morning in leggings and an ugly Stanford t-shirt, her hair piled into a messy bun.

MJ and Peter had just gotten back from their run and boxing. Their foreheads were still sweaty; MJ's sports bra was drenched, and Peter looked like someone had thrown three billion buckets of water on him.

"Hey," Peter greeted his girlfriend, getting up to press a kiss to her cheek.

Gwen wrinkled her nose. "You smell."

He laughed. "Yeah, sorry. We got a little too ambitious today. Yay for fitness?"

Gwen rolled her eyes but smiled at him affectionately. "Okay, Peter. You do you. Hey, I'm going to get going, okay? I promised Liz I would call her today."

"Yeah, sure. I'll see you later."

Gwen gave his hand a squeeze (there was no way she would get any closer to him in his current state) before heading out to her car.

MJ stared after her, chewing on her lip. She moved her Lucky Charms around in her milk, completely zoning out.

"Uh, MJ," Peter spoke up, "you good?"

She shook her head to clear it. "Oh, uh... yeah. Just tired." She gave him a weak smile. "I'm going... to my place. To take a nap." She pointed a finger toward the door. "Okay. Bye," she said hurriedly before almost running out of the room.

She made her way into her room, almost slamming the door behind her. She let out a huge sigh and leaned against the door, resting the back of her head on it.

_Fuck, it's just a crush,_ she told herself, _Get over it._

* * *

...Well, MJ's little pep talk to herself didn't work. Her heart still pounded against her ribcage every time she laid eyes on her sweet, unsuspecting, friendly neighborhood Peter Parker. However, as the weeks went by, she'd taught herself to bury her feelings, pretending nothing was going on.

Harry's voice broke through her train of thought. "MJ, can you focus? We have to study for this final. Have you heard the horror stories about Mattuck's finals? He may be good at his job, but you've seen him in class."

MJ rolled her eyes. "Ugh, I _know._ It's fine, though; have you seen some of those YouTube videos from, like, 2003? They're super helpful."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I know. At least we didn't get Miller. My roommate said he's not as good as Mattuck."

MJ hummed, directing her attention back to her laptop.

After their breakup, Harry and MJ agreed to stop meeting each other for at least a while. About a month later, though, Harry reached out and asked to get coffee. Things had been awkward at first, but now Harry was a pretty good friend of MJ's. (He even let her occasionally rant to him about Peter.)

"MJ!" Harry called, waving a hand in front of her face, "Girl, what is _wrong_ with you?"

"Sorry," she mumbled.

Betty decided to walk out of her bedroom at that moment. "She's thinking about Peter. _Obviously,"_ she told Harry helpfully, her mouth full of leftover takeout.

Betty and MJ hung out with Harry on a pretty regular basis. When Peter and Ned had heard about the breakup pretty much the day after it happened, they didn't feel the need to continue the relationship. (Of course, Peter had his reasons; Ned just wanted to support his best friend.)

MJ shushed Betty. "Oh my god, Betty, shut up. And _please_ swallow your food before talking."

"Um, you're not my mother."

Harry spoke up, "MJ, are you ever going to do anything about that?"

Betty answered for her, "No."

MJ glared at her friends. "He has a girlfriend, you guys. I can't just break them up because I have a little crush."

Betty raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Hon, this isn't a crush."

Harry nodded in agreement, and MJ whipped around to face him.

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side."

"I _am,"_ he insisted. "Look. You're clearly hung up on him." He paused for a moment before adding, "And I'm tired of your rants."

MJ pouted. "That's not nice."

"It's true," Betty interrupted, "I fucking hate the rants. They're out of control."

"Wow, what great friends I have."

Betty bumped MJ's shoulder with her own. "You love us."

"Nope, I'm disowning you guys."

The two ignored that and grinned cheekily at her.

* * *

Betty waved at Gwen as she got up from her spot on Peter and Ned's couch. (The futon from their dorm days had taken up residence in Ned's room.)

"Bye, you guys!" Gwen said, "Thanks for the fun movie." She leaned over to kiss Peter. "Love you," she told him quickly before leaving. ...Well, that was new.

When he replied back with the same words, Betty glanced over at MJ. Her eyes were downcast, clearly avoiding Betty's searching glance.

Betty chewed at her lip, not knowing how to comfort her best friend. She chose to slip her hand into MJ's, squeezing tightly to let her know she was there for her.

Of course, Ned just _had_ to say something. Betty loved her boyfriend; she really did. It's just that, sometimes, Ned was really fucking stupid. She supposed it wasn't really his fault, though. MJ had sworn her to secrecy, and MJ _always_ came first.

"So, Peter," he began, "new development?"

Peter's face broke out into a grin. "Oh. Yeah. No big deal," he said. (It was clearly a big deal. Betty thought his face would break in two.) "It happened yesterday."

"Wow."

Betty was desperate to change the subject. MJ was squeezing her hand with a vengeance, and her sharp nails were digging into Betty's skin.

"That's, uh, _great,_ Peter," she managed to say. "Okay! Who wants ice cream?"

Ned gave her a puzzled look. They'd been dating for so long now; he could pick up when something was wrong.

_Shit,_ she thought, _that's going to bite me back in the ass later._

For now, though, Betty couldn't focus on that. At the moment, she had a best friend to remove from crisis mode.

* * *

MJ buried her face in her hands and let out a shaky breath once she'd made it back to her own apartment with Betty.

"I can't fucking believe it," she groaned, "I can't handle this, Betty. It's like I'm a fucking teenager all over again."

"I mean, we kind of are..." Betty replied.

"Shut up. You know what I mean."

"I know." She took a deep breath. "MJ, you have to act normal around him."

MJ scoffed. "Yeah, that's easier said than done."

"Babe, I know. But you have to get yourself together before he notices."

MJ hung her head. "Yeah." She sighed again. "He was really right in front of me, wasn't he? And I didn't notice until it was too late."

Betty's expression softened. "Oh, honey. MJ, come here, girl."

She stretched out her arms, and MJ took a few steps forward, allowing herself to take a break, even if it was just a minute.

Betty continued, "We're watching _Dirty Dancing_ tonight. So you can get all the feels out. Okay?"

MJ nodded into her shoulder. "Okay," came her muffled response.

"Okay." Betty pulled back, kissing MJ's cheek. "One day at a time, MJ. One day at a time."

Huh. One day at a time. MJ liked the sound of that. She nodded affirmatively. "One day at a time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, before I get into my spiel, let me tell you guys something: I'd like to say something: a lot of times, I get some comments really diving deep into this and making all sorts of connections—which make my day, by the way. I usually respond to these with some insight into how I came up with it or how I decided to go about a character arc, etc. Anyway, my point is that you'll get a bunch of information that isn't in the official author notes or the story if you head over to the comments on pretty much all the chapters. I hope you will because it might add to your understanding of the story! Alright, that's done now. So, the professors mentioned in this chapter, Mattuck and Miller, are actual professors at MIT for differential calculus. Unlike last time I used real professors, this time I actually looked up these people's personalities and teaching styles (and pretty much everything). It turns out that Mattuck has a bunch of YouTube videos and is ancient, but he's very respected and tough on students. Miller's just okay. Just a fun fact! Oh, and one last thing: did you guys like Harry as just a friend? I wanted to kind of convey that they're both moving on in a healthy way and still staying mature about it. Hope you guys liked this!  
> ~kitty22803


	15. New Year's Resolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new year is coming up again, and MJ has some goals to set (and keep).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm back! Our girl MJ is struggling a lot, as you could probably tell from the last chapter. At least things with Harry have been patched up! And one more thing: for the first time, you guys will see a chapter partially in Ned's point of view! I didn't even realize I've never written in his point of view, so we're making it happen, people. Anyway, I have nothing else to say, so enjoy reading!  
> On with the show!

"MJ!" Betty yelled (even though there was literally no one else in their apartment besides Peter, Ned, Gwen, and Harry). "You have to try this drink. That girl from Tennessee told me about it. It's sweet tea, lemonade, and moonshine. It's fucking amazing." She smirked after her little spiel. "And that's the tea, sis."

MJ gave Betty a disgusted look. "Betty, I love you, but _please_ don't _ever_ say that again. First of all, _ow,_ my eardrums. Also, I hate sweet tea. _And_ moonshine."

It was New Year's Eve. As per tradition, Betty had brought out the drinks before it was even dark out. (That was _still_ illegal, annoyingly enough; they all couldn't wait until they could drink without "borrowing" some alcohol from one of the frats.)

"Also," Peter added, "isn't moonshine illegal?"

Betty answered, "Not if you have a permit."

"Where was your moonshine brewed?"

"...My Tennessee friend's parents' house."

"Do they have a permit?"

"...No."

Peter had a _why-the-fuck-am-I-best-friends-with-these-weird-people_ expression similar to that of Jim Halpert's on _The Office_.

Ned then spoke up, "Okay! Betty, let's get you away from the _illegal_ moonshine. We will, uh, give that to the neighbors." He grabbed his girlfriend's shoulders, steering her towards the more family-friendly bottle of rosé.

Peter stepped closer to MJ once Ned had successfully taken Betty away from the hard liquor. "Hey," he muttered, bumping her shoulder with his.

MJ's heart fluttered, and she had to take a deep breath. "Uh... hi." When had it gotten so hard for her to talk to her best friend? "Uh, you having fun? I wanted to keep it super chill."

Peter smiled. "Yeah, this is good."

"Good. Good. Yep." MJ "Where's Gwen?"

"Talking to Harry." He rolled his eyes at the very thought of his... frenemy? Archnemesis? It was still unclear.

MJ turned her body slightly to see her ex-turned-friend in an animated conversation with Gwen. "I see that." She faced Peter again. "Don't make that face. You two were making great progress when he and I dated. What happened?"

"You guys broke up, and I pretty much didn't see him at all for a whole month. He stopped sitting with us in class, too. After that, it was kind of pointless."

MJ nodded with understanding but still gave a tiny scoff. "Alright, Peter. You do you, I guess."

"Shut up."

"I didn't say anything."

"Uh, yeah, you did."

"You don't know that."

Peter laughed and lightly punched her arm. "I hate you."

"Do you, though?"

They continued to argue playfully, and MJ's heart beat faster as she fell more in love with her best friend.

* * *

Ned witnessed Betty get more drunk as the night went on, MJ following pretty close behind.

"Ned, you... you are the love of my life," Betty declared.

He sighed. "I know, babe. I love you, too."

"You know, I literally tell you everything, but there's, like, one thing I haven't told you..."

Ned furrowed his eyebrows. "Huh?"

Betty sloppily pressed a finger to her mouth, shushing him. "Nope, I can't tell you."

Without meaning to, she glanced over to a corner of the room. Gwen and Peter were snuggled up with a glass of rosé and a beer, respectively. Of course, that's not what Betty's eyes were focused on. Ned followed her gaze to MJ and Harry, where MJ was furiously whispering to her friend, almost glaring at Gwen and Peter.

"Uh, Betty?"

"Yes, love of my life?"

Ned gave her a strange look at that. "Uh, okay. What's the secret?"

"MJ!" his girlfriend suddenly called.

MJ looked up. "Hi, Betty!"

"Hi, girl! Come over here for a second, please."

MJ muttered something to Harry before coming over with her beer. (Peter had given her that to at least limit her alcohol intake.)

"What's up, Betty? Hi, Ned," MJ greeted, "Harry and I were just talking about... well, you know, Betty."

"Okay," Ned began, "you two have no filters when you're drunk. Also, _what's going on?"_

MJ paid no mind to him, instead directing her words at Betty. "You know, I really like Gwen. I think we could be super good friends if it weren't for..."

"Your little crush?" Betty cheerfully asked.

"Betty! Ned's right here! You said you wouldn't say anything!"

Ned's eyes widened. "Uh, you have a crush on Gwen?"

MJ, in her not-so-great state, turned toward him and said, "What? No, Peter. Anyway—"

"Wait, _what?"_

Betty froze. "Oh, shit, MJ."

Ned panicked. "Oh my god. Oh my fucking god. Shit, shit, shit, I have to pretend like this conversation never happened. Nope, nope, nope. Betty, _please_ tell me neuralyzers exist in real life."

"Uh, Ned," MJ said, "you can't tell him."

Ned gave her an offended look. "Okay, I'm not _cruel._ It's just that I have to lie to my best friend now. It's fine. I'm... fine." He paused for a second. "You know, Betty and I always shipped you guys."

Betty nodded vigorously. "It's true," she confirmed.

MJ tucked her chin into herself. "Well, that doesn't matter anymore because he has a girlfriend. Yay for me," she said in a monotonous voice.

At this point, Harry made his way over to them. "Hey, man," he said to Ned.

Ned whipped around to face the taller boy. "Uh, did you know MJ likes Peter? God, I sound like a fifth-grader."

"Yeah, I did. I've heard _all_ the rants, too. _So_ annoying." Harry paused. "So does this mean everyone knows?" he asked MJ, turning slightly toward her.

MJ groaned, "I didn't mean to tell him. I'm not sober enough for this."

"You can have my water," Harry offered, handing her his glass.

She grabbed it, downing all the water in less than two seconds. "I need a fucking drink," she decided.

"That's not..." Harry began. "You know what, nevermind."

"Hey, you guys!" Peter called to them, "The ball drop is, like, ten minutes."

Ned gave his friend a double-thumbs up. "We'll be right there," he said, forcing a smile.

MJ took a deep breath. "Alright, bitches," she told them, "my resolution this year is to get over him, and I'm starting ten minutes early."

* * *

"Happy New Year!" everyone screamed.

Betty and Ned went in for a passionate kiss ( _gross,_ MJ thought), while Gwen and Peter shared a small kiss before pulling apart. Harry and MJ shared an awkward hug.

"Huh," MJ said, "I can't believe we're fifth and sixth wheeling."

Harry let out a short laugh. "Yeah, well..." He pursed his lips. "Is that really your resolution?" he asked, referring to ten minutes ago.

MJ looked down at her shoes. "Yeah. He deserves to be happy with her, so I have to get over it."

Harry gave her a smile. "Good for you, MJ."

Speaking of the devil, Peter came over. "Hey, MJ. Happy New Year." Before she could do anything, he wrapped her up into a warm hug, and she melted in his arms without meaning to.

After a moment, her arms came to loop around his neck. "Happy New Year, Peter," she whispered.

 _Fuck,_ this was going to be so hard. MJ took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent of Peter's shampoo. But it would be alright, she assured herself. Everything would be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so how was it? I don't know whether I've ever explained this before, but considering how Betty's pretty uptight in the Tom Holland movies, I think she probably has stricter parents who have kept her kind of sheltered. And I can tell you one thing: sheltered kids almost _always_ end up partying a lot more than kids who had chill parents because sheltered kids' parents wouldn't let them do anything remotely fun. (Chill doesn't mean bad; my parents are pretty chill, but they pay attention to my grades and make sure I'm not doing drugs or drinking alcohol. But they definitely let me have more fun than my sheltered friends.) That's why she's so much more different than the movie version. Just letting you guys know! Until next time...  
> ~kitty22803


	16. Long Distance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gwen has some news for Peter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, you guys! So, the news has just come in: Spider-Man is back in the MCU! I am so incredibly happy right now, and I knew I had to finish editing this chapter for you guys to celebrate this huge win for Marvel fans. I'm so sorry I couldn't post sooner; school has been draining the soul out of me. Anyway, hope you enjoy! Just a note: this is set only a couple weeks before their sophomore year ends.  
> On with the show!

"—And she said she wants to _talk,_ MJ. _Talk._ You know it's not good when someone says, 'We need to talk.' Oh my god," Peter said, all in one breath.

MJ just nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Are you even listening?"

She didn't respond. Instead, she chose to run her hand over Truffle's fur; the small cat was napping on MJ's lap, curled up tightly.

"MJ, I'm panicking."

 _Well,_ MJ thought, _excuse me for not being interested in the love life of the guy I like._

Peter practically threw himself onto her bed dramatically. "I hate this."

"You know," MJ began, "she's literally at her apartment right now. Just go talk to her, stupid."

Peter sat up straight. "Uh, are you sure?"

MJ rolled her eyes. _"Yes._ Oh my god."

"Uh, um, okay. Okay... Okay. Alright. I'm going to do this. Just... I'm going to fucking do this," he encouraged himself.

MJ sighed. "Dear god, just _go."_

He bolted up from the bed with a new purpose. "Okay! I'm doing it. It can't be that bad."

"Sure. Right." MJ just waved him off and continued to pet Truffle.

Peter grinned at her before rushing out her door, and MJ sighed.

One day, these butterflies would go away, but until then, she was stuck with little flutters in her stomach.

* * *

"I'm sorry; you're _what?"_ Peter asked.

Gwen grimaced. "Uh... I'm transferring to Stanford...?"

Peter just stared at his girlfriend for a moment. _"Why?"_

"Uh, it's my dad."

"Oh. Um, what happened?"

Gwen said quickly, "It's not what you think. It's just..."

Peter gestured at her to continue. "Just...?"

"Ever since Mom died, my dad has only had me. I applied to both Stanford and MIT, but I always wanted to go to MIT because... well, it's one of the best tech schools in the world. But, uh, it's all the way across the country."

Peter furrowed his eyebrows. "Okay... so then why are you transferring?"

"Well, my dad's a cop, and he got injured on the job the other day. I really just want to help him out, and I've been away from Dad and my friends—Liz—for so long. And he didn't want me to go to college at home in Malibu, so we came to a compromise and... now I'm transferring to Stanford."

Peter ran his hand over his face, sighing. "Oh my god."

"Uh, this doesn't mean we have to break up," Gwen added in a rush. "I think we can do long distance."

Peter nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, of course. Right."

"Hey," Gwen muttered, taking Peter's hand, "Are you okay?"

"Uh-huh!" he squeaked. "Just... I need to process it."

"Of course. Take your time." Gwen smiled kindly before pecking his lips softly.

Peter withdrew his hand from hers and looked around awkwardly. "Uh, I'm going to go..." He pointed toward the door with his thumb, giving Gwen a tight smile.

"...Okay." Gwen paused. "Listen, Peter, this may not be permanent. It's just for the time being, yeah?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure. See you, Gwen." Peter reached blindly for the doorknob, twisting it and shoving it open. He backed out quickly.

Gwen swallowed, a guilty look on her face. "Okay. Bye."

Peter stepped out of the apartment fully and almost slammed the door. He groaned and lightly hit his head on a wall.

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,_ he thought, _I fucking_ knew _she had bad news._

Whether his relationship would survive or not... that was up in the air.

* * *

Ned walked into his and Peter's apartment, already occupied by the girls—stealing his Netflix account, of course.

"Hey, guys," he greeted them, walking over to the couch. He leaned down to steal a kiss from Betty before coming back up to wave at MJ.

"Hi," MJ said, "Did you see the group chat?"

"What? No."

MJ dug out her phone from the back pocket of her jeans. She scrolled through her phone and opened their group chat (which, to MJ's dismay, named "The Fantastic Four").

Once she turned her phone toward him, Ned saw what she meant.

Peter had texted them a few times, calling for an "emergency squad meeting" after he came back.

"Huh. Must be important," Ned observed.

Betty made a face. "That's the thing. MJ thinks she knows what it's about."

"Really?"

MJ answered, "Yep. Peter went to go talk to Gwen today. He was really nervous because she said, 'We need to talk.' I wouldn't be surprised if this has anything to do with that."

Ned's eyes widened. "Oh, shit."

"Yeah."

Just on time, the door slammed shut, marking the arrival of Peter.

MJ lifted a hand in a short wave, Betty smiled sympathetically, and Ned came up to do their special handshake.

"Hey, man," Ned said calmly, "What's the meeting for?"

Peter looked down at the floor. "Gwen's moving to Stanford."

There was a slight pause before the room erupted into chaos.

Betty asked, "Are you serious?"

Ned almost yelled, "Wait, what the fuck?"

Even MJ was surprised, telling Peter, "Yikes. Sorry that I told you it would be okay. I kind of feel bad now."

They were all talking over one another. Peter finally just yelled out, "Okay! One at a time!"

There was quiet for a moment. Ned asked, "Why?"

"Her dad got injured. He's a cop. She's going to help out."

Betty raised her hand in a very Betty-like fashion. "Doesn't she live in Malibu?"

"Yes, but, uh, her dad didn't want her to, like, sacrifice her future, so they came to a compromise."

MJ finally spoke up, "Are you guys still together?"

Now that Ned knew that MJ liked Peter, he could hear the small sense of hope behind her wavering voice.

Peter sighed. "She wants to do long distance. And I think I'm okay with that."

In Ned and Betty's eyes, it was clear that MJ deflated as soon as she heard Peter's response. Ned gave her a reassuring smile, trying to send a message of love and support with just his eyes.

MJ pursed her lips. "...Right. Uh, then, it's not that bad."

Peter huffed, "She'll be all the way across the country! That's fucking insane."

"So? Just visit. Be a good boyfriend." (This was how Ned knew MJ was the best person; she didn't put her feelings in the way of her support for Peter.)

Betty asked, "Is she leaving after finals are done?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah, she's finishing the year with us, thankfully." He hesitated. "You know, I kind of feel bad for leaving her at her place without working shit out."

Ned saw MJ roll her eyes. _"Go._ Call her, okay?"

Peter agreed, reaching out for just a moment to grab her hand and squeeze it before heading toward his room.

* * *

Harry told MJ excitedly, "Girl, this is your chance!"

MJ shot Harry a look. "Uh, what?"

It was the day after Gwen had told Peter the news. Harry was over to study, and she had caught him up with all the drama.

"Gwen will be out of the picture, and you can make a move on Peter," Harry explained to her slowly.

"What? No! Harry, that's a horrible thing to do."

"Hey. No one said that you'd be winning a Nobel Peace Prize for it."

MJ shook her head almost violently. "No. You _know_ I'm trying to get over him. The morning workouts definitely don't help, and I don't need you on my case about this, too."

Betty walked through the living room. "He's right," she said, mouth full of a sandwich, "It's not exactly the nicest thing to do, but it could work."

"No! I'd like to remain morally sound, thanks."

"Well," Harry said, "the offer's still on the table, alright?" He rubbed MJ's back comfortingly. "I hope it gets better for your sake."

MJ sighed. She hoped it would get better, too, but it seemed like there was no end in sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm done! Was it too dramatic? I'm not breaking up Peter and Gwen yet. I feel like that would be a little anticlimactic for them. I hope you guys liked this; I tried to make it realistic but also dramatic, which is actually kind of hard...? Anyway, see you guys next time! I love you guys 3000.  
> ~kitty22803


	17. California

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter starts to see a change in his relationship with Gwen as summer comes to a close and junior year starts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, you guys! Sorry that I couldn't update before now. So, our faves are back, and they're about to be in junior year! I'm so excited to show you guys what happens with Peter and Gwen in these next few chapters. I hope you guys like this! Oh, and by the way, this starts in early August but ends in September.  
> On with the show!

Peter stopped the car in front of the doors, turning toward Gwen. "Uh, let me help you get your bags."

They were in front of the drop-off section at the airport. Gwen was leaving to go back to California before her school year started in late August.

Gwen nodded nervously. "Right. My bags."

She quickly opened her car door and stepped out. Peter followed, opening the trunk to reach in and grab her backpack and lone suitcase for her.

After he'd set the bags on the ground, Gwen leaned in to kiss him, gently cupping his face. She pulled away and told him, "I'll FaceTime you when I get there, okay?"

Peter swallowed. "Uh... yeah. Uh-huh, I'll... talk to you then."

"Hey. Look at me."

Peter glanced up from his extremely interesting Vans.

"I love you."

He gave her a small smile. "Love you, too."

They shared another quick kiss before Gwen picked up her bags. "I have to go, but I'll call you, okay? Bye, Peter!" she called as she headed toward the terminal.

Peter lifted a hand in farewell. After a few moments, his hand dropped by his side, and he headed back to the car.

Getting back into the driver's seat, he just sat there for a moment, taking a deep breath.

Everything was going to be okay.

* * *

"Happy birthday, Peter," MJ said, handing him a small bag.

"Aw, MJ, you didn't have to," Peter said to her. He still took the bag from her, setting it down in front of him on the floor.

"What can I say? You only turn twenty once."

Peter removed the tissue paper from the bag and pulled out whatever was in the bag. It was a t-shirt, and he held it up, unfolding it. "You have to be fucking kidding me."

"Do you like it?"

"This is... _mine."_ He stared at his old blue Midtown shirt.

"Yep! Happy birthday!"

Ned burst out laughing. "Wow, MJ. That's literally the greatest thing you've ever done. This is peak comedy."

"Thank you, Ned. It's even Betty-approved."

Betty added helpfully, "It's true."

Peter groaned, "I hate you."

MJ grinned. "Why? I'm lovely."

Just then, Peter's phone rang, and everyone jumped. He glanced at his phone to see who was calling him (because, honestly, who even called anymore?).

The phone lit up with a silly picture of Gwen. (Of course, Peter didn't see MJ's smile drop from her face at the sight of that.)

"Oh, I have to take this, you guys. I'll be right back," Peter told them, and he left the living room.

As soon as he'd shut his bedroom door, he answered the FaceTime call.

"Happy birthday, Peter!" Gwen shouted as soon as he'd answered.

"Hey! Thanks, Gwen," he responded with a huge smile.

"I'm so sorry I had to leave right before. It's literally been, like, five days. I will _totally_ make it up to you the next time we see each other, okay?"

"It's okay. I'm glad you called."

"So? How has your day been?"

"Well, May invited the others to hang out. Betty got me a bunch of Pocky, so that's exciting. Ned got me Legos because we're still three-year-olds at heart. And, uh, MJ got me my own shirt."

Gwen laughed loudly. "Of course she did. I love her for that."

"Do you want to talk to them? I'm sure they'd like to hear from you."

"Yeah, sure."

Peter headed out of his room and went back to where his best friends were. "Hey, you guys, Gwen wants to say 'hi.'"

There was a little group huddle in session, and the three of them immediately drew back when Peter walked in.

Ned threw a small glance at MJ (which Peter failed to notice) before awkwardly waving. "Hey, Gwen. How's California?"

"Oh, you know," she replied, "it's whatever. I'm excited to get moved into Liz's old place. Ironically, she's moving up there to go to Harvard. You know, law school."

"Great. How's your dad?"

"He's recovering; thanks for asking."

"Anyway," Betty interrupted the awkward silence that ensued, "I think we should let you go, Gwen. It seems like you're busy. Okay, bye! Ned, MJ, come with me to get some snacks."

She grabbed Ned and MJ by their arms, sort-of-dragging them to the kitchen.

Peter watched them leave with a confused expression. He looked down at his phone again. "Uh... sorry about that. They're strange, as you probably already know _very_ well."

Gwen let out a puff of laughter. "Yeah, that's okay. I'll talk to you soon, Peter. Again, happy birthday."

"Uh, bye, Gwen."

She waved before hanging up, and he just stared at his lock screen, wishing she was actually there.

* * *

"You guys, I was fine," MJ protested.

"Yes, but we were just looking out for you," Betty responded, "I don't want you getting hurt."

"You know we love you, right?" Ned asked.

MJ sighed in defeat. "Yeah, I know. It's just... you guys can't keep protecting me forever."

Betty put her hand on MJ's shoulder. "Are you over him?"

"Uh..."

"Well, there's our answer."

"That's just unfair."

"What's unfair?" The three whipped around to see Peter standing a couple feet away.

"Uh... you know, MJ's internship," Ned forced out.

MJ rolled her eyes. He really couldn't think of anything better than that? But of course, she had to go with it. "Yep, they're really kicking my ass. My boss tried to make me come in today. Even though today's one of my only off-days." (Unlike _someone,_ MJ was actually good at lying.)

Peter nodded. "That sucks."

Betty tried to steer the conversation away. "Okay! Let's rewatch _Psych_ for the three-billionth time before the second movie comes out at some point. Babe, get us snacks."

Peter started, "Wait, didn't you guys _come_ in here for—"

"Peter! Catch these," Ned quickly said, throwing a pack of sour gummy worms at his friend.

He barely caught them in time. "Uh, okay."

As Ned led Peter away from the kitchen, Betty turned back around to face MJ. "Shit. That was _really_ close."

MJ nodded and took a deep breath to calm herself. "Yep. Maybe, uh, I should give you guys a crash course on how to lie."

"Fuck off."

"Don't even deny it!" MJ called as Betty stuck up a middle finger, walking away with her back facing MJ.

* * *

"MJ! My favorite girl, how are you?"

MJ turned in the direction of the voice, and there was May Parker.

"May! Hi! What are you doing here?" she asked in a surprised tone.

"Well, it was kind of a last-minute thing, but Peter invited me to visit before you guys got busy. It's already the last week of August! Can you believe it?"

Speaking of the devil, the boy himself walked into her apartment. "She talked about seeing you the whole time I was on the phone. I think she may adopt you."

"Well, May, you are _more_ than welcome to visit anytime. No one cares about him," MJ joked, waving Peter away. She stepped forward to give May a small hug. "I'm glad you're here. Peter won't let Truffle sit on his bed, and she's deeply wounded."

"Peter, let that poor cat sit on your bed," May chided playfully.

"Okay, I wouldn't have invited you if I'd known that you guys were just going to attack me," Peter complained.

Ned stuck his head through the door frame. "Is that May?"

"Hi, Ned. How are you, hon?"

"I'm great. What's this about attacking Peter? Because that's my favorite pastime."

MJ raised her hand for a high-five, which Ned happily returned.

Peter just pouted. "You guys suck. I'm not feeling the love here."

May told him, "Well, your best friends and family members just _love_ to hate on you. And _I_ think we're overdue for a Peter Parker roast session."

"Yikes."

* * *

Peter was rummaging inside of his cabinets, looking for a few acceptable plates for dinner.

"Hey, sweetie," May said, walking in.

"Hey, May. Just finding some plates for all of us. Four people are _way_ more than I'm used to feeding. Do you mind biodegradable paper plates?" he asked, spinning around and holding up a plastic bag of paper plates.

"Uh, sure. What are we doing? Thai?"

"Yep. Is that good?"

"That's fine, hon." There was a brief pause before May added, "Hey, how's Gwen doing?"

Peter flinched a little. "Uh, she's fine. We haven't talked in a bit, though."

"...I see."

Peter gave his aunt a look. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Nothing! Just... I don't want you to be disappointed, baby. Long-distance is hard, _especially_ when you're so young."

"We're fine."

"Uh-huh."

"Oh my god, May."

"What? I didn't say anything."

Peter raised his hands in defeat. "I'm not even going to try."

* * *

The first day of classes was finally over, and Peter collapsed onto the couch.

"You guys," he groaned, "I'm already done with this year."

"Honestly, anything is better than the first semester during freshman year. Complete trash," Ned added, walking out of the kitchen.

"I mean, true."

"Well," Betty said, "alcohol and _Harry Potter_ will always help. Here you go." She handed him a beer before taking her designated spot next to Ned on Peter's sad, old couch.

"Amen to that," MJ said as she raised her bottle.

"Okay, which one do we want to watch tonight?" Betty asked.

"The fourth one," MJ suggested.

Betty nodded with approval. "Okay."

"No, I wanted to watch the second one," Peter protested. "Ned, back me up."

Ned looked between his girlfriend and his best friend. "Sorry, Peter, but I think the fourth one wins."

Peter pressed a hand to his chest. "Damn, the betrayal."

MJ gave him a side-eye. "Oh, shut up."

* * *

Peter was chilling on the couch, watching _New Girl_ , when MJ burst into the apartment.

"Hey," she greeted him, "Ned's over, and I _really_ don't want to listen to our friends go at it. Can I stay here for a bit?"

He blinked in surprise. "Oh. Sure." If he was being honest, he hadn't even realized that Ned wasn't in the apartment.

"Thank you." MJ sank down into the couch. "What episode are you watching?"

"Uh... It's the one where Winston has to get a background check to become a cop."

"Oh! The episode with the meth, right?"

"Yeah. But it's actually aquarium rocks."

"That's a great episode. Play it." Instead of waiting, she grabbed the remote out of his hands and pressed the play button herself.

The panicked voices of the show's characters filled the room, and Peter turned toward MJ. "Uh, do you want some blanket?"

"Oh, yeah, sure."

MJ scooted closer to him, taking a section of the blanket. She placed her feet on his, and he hissed.

"Woman, your feet are fucking cold."

She stuck her tongue out. "Too bad, loser. Deal with it."

"I hate you."

* * *

Peter jolted awake to a bunch of screaming. (Turns out it was from some random episode of _Parks and Rec,_ though.)

He ran a hand over his face, looking around. He grabbed his phone from the other side of the couch to check the time. It read, _1:34._

Just as he was about to get up, someone next to him shifted a little. Peter glanced over to see a passed-out MJ.

"MJ," he whispered, "are you awake?"

There was no response.

He reached over, gently brushing the hair away from her face. He pulled the blanket tighter around them, making sure it covered her completely.

And as she snuggled into his chest more, he couldn't help but feel...

Peter inhaled sharply and shook his head. _Absolutely not, Peter,_ he told himself, _You have a girlfriend._

He sat back for a moment, closing his eyes.

Fuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I say anything else, yes, Stanford starts school in late August. I looked that up, so it's confirmed. Also, how did you guys like it? I'd like to think I'm doing fine, but let me know because I can't live without validation because I'm insecure. (I'm fine.) Okay, sorry; jokes aside, really, what did you guys think? I'm hoping to get into more drama next chapter, so make sure to look out for that! By the way, this isn't Peter suddenly realizing his feelings in one second. There's going to be a shit ton of internal conflict in the next chapter. Yay! Oh, and a side note: in case you guys didn't notice from context, I'm making all of their birthdays their MCU birthdays. Obviously, we don't know Betty's, but MJ's is June 10, Peter's is August 10, and Ned's is November 10. Love you guys 3000, and see you next time!  
> ~kitty22803


	18. Internal Conflict

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, last time we saw our boy, Peter, having conflicting feelings about MJ. This time, we're making it even worse. I'm so excited to torture all you guys. Anyway, have fun! Also, this takes place less than a week after the end of the last chapter. Oh, and one last thing: the beginning scene is on a Saturday because that's when they go grocery shopping (you'll understand what I mean in a second).  
> On with the show!

"Hey," Peter said absentmindedly. He propped his phone on his water bottle precariously before reaching over to grab his laptop.

"Hi, Peter. How's MIT?" Gwen asked.

"Oh, you know..."

"...Uh, okay."

"How's Stanford?" He finally sat back down in his seat at the kitchen counter.

"It's fine. My new roommate just moved in. You know, because Liz is gone."

"Right."

An awkward silence ensued, and Peter just stared at his hands.

The front door swung open, and his three best friends arrived like a horde of elephants. (It may have been annoying on any other occasion, but Peter was thankful for the distraction.)

"Hey, Peter," Ned called, "Is that Gwen?"

"Hey, Ned," Gwen greeted.

Ned made his way over, with Betty and MJ trailing close behind. "Hey. What's up? How's Stanford?"

"Pretty chill. It's really different from MIT."

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure."

Peter turned around, and he and Ned did their handshake. "Hey, man. Sorry that I couldn't go out to Wegmans with you guys."

"It's all good. MJ's better company than you anyway."

"Um, _ouch."_

Peter turned to look at MJ for a minute. He sharply inhaled when he saw her in _his_ MIT sweatpants and _his_ Midtown t-shirt (that she'd taken from him soon after giving it back on his birthday). Not that he cared, of course. She'd been stealing his clothes ever since they met. Also, she was his best friend. _Best friend,_ he told himself, _Don't forget it._

"Anyway, I'll let you guys hang out. I'll call later!" he heard Gwen say. Her voice seemed so far away.

"Uh, bye. Love you."

"Love you." She blew him a kiss before ending the call, and he had to hold back a sigh of relief.

Crisis averted.

* * *

"So, MJ," Betty began, "did I spot you on a _date_ yesterday?"

MJ froze. "Uh, maybe."

"Okay, spill. Tell me everything."

"Whoa, okay, calm down. We're just... trying things out. I'm not looking for anything serious."

"...I'm still waiting for the details."

MJ rolled her eyes. "Her name is Alex, and she's from Boston. And she's a junior. Happy?"

"Have you gotten over Peter?"

She pressed her lips together. "You might as well say it to the _whole fucking world._ God, Betty. And... I'm working on it. We're getting there."

Betty nodded. "Good. You deserve that for yourself." She paused for a moment before asking, "How's the sex?"

"Oh my god."

"So?"

"...It was nice."

"Didn't sound like just 'nice' last night."

"Shut up. I'm never telling you anything ever again."

"What happened?" Ned asked as he walked into the girls' apartment.

MJ waved. "Hey, Ned. Nothing's happening. Betty's just being annoying."

Of course, Betty betrayed her like the horrible friend she is. "MJ got _laid,"_ she sang.

"Hey! Solid!" he told her, coming over to give her a high-five. MJ reluctantly raised her hand and returned it.

"Betty, I told you it wasn't serious. Do you guys have _any_ secrets?"

"Well, Ned didn't know about... Peter. Until New Year's, of course," Betty answered.

"Okay, you _have_ to stop mentioning that. I told you I'm working on it!"

"Working on what?" Harry asked.

MJ whipped around to face him. "Where are all you people coming from?"

"The door," he told her in a deadpan voice.

"MJ's having sex again," Ned told Harry helpfully.

"Oh, I know. I found out a few days ago."

Peter also walked in. (Okay, at this point, it was getting comical.) "Found out what?"

Betty was offended. "I'm sorry. Harry knew _before me?"_

"He's in that class!"

Peter: "What's happening?"

"MJ has a girlfriend," Ned explained.

"She's not my girlfriend!" MJ nearly shrieked.

Peter almost looked... hurt. What was that all about? "You have a girlfriend?"

"No! Ignore them."

"Is she cute?" Ned asked.

"She's really hot," Harry answered for her.

"Harry, you're a _trash bag,"_ MJ said. "Ugh, I'm leaving. Ned, do you guys still have that leftover takeout at your place?"

Ned blinked. "Oh. Yeah. I didn't really want it anyway."

"Great. Bye, idiots."

As she walked away, all she had in mind was that disappointed look on Peter's face. Shit, what was going on?

* * *

"MJ, come in," Ned said as he opened the door, "Betty's already here."

Peter lifted his head. "MJ's here?"

"Hey, stupid," she greeted him _so_ kindly.

Ned continued, "So, MJ, I heard from Betty about what happened."

She rolled her eyes. "I literally told you guys two days ago that it was nothing serious. This is why I don't tell you shit."

"Is this about the girlfriend?" Peter asked, trying to hide the quiver in his voice.

"She's not my girlfriend, but yes. We decided to stop going out. We're still friends. I don't know what the big deal is."

"Oh. I'm... sorry?" (He had to tamper down whatever was happening with his heart.)

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." She waved him off before waltzing into Ned's room (where Betty was) without another word.

Peter just looked away, trying not to think about her. This was _definitely_ not happening.

* * *

It was Saturday, and the four were having a movie night at Peter and Ned's apartment.

MJ threw popcorn at Betty and Ned. "Can you two actually watch the fucking movie? _Crazy Rich Asians_ is my guilty pleasure movie, and you _will_ watch it."

Betty stuck her tongue out. "MJ, shush."

Ned rolled his eyes. "You guys are like four-year-olds. I'm getting water. Babe, come with me."

He stood up, holding out his hand for Betty to grab onto. They headed into the kitchen.

MJ glanced over at Peter, shaking her head. "They're so gross."

Peter shrugged. "What can you do? Betty and Ned _live_ to be that gross couple."

"Ha. Don't I know it."

"Yeah. Be thankful that Gwen and I aren't like that."

"Well, Gwen would have to make an appearance for that to happen." She may have been getting better at shoving down her feelings for Peter, but she couldn't help but sound a little too happy.

Peter flinched. "Uh, yeah, I guess."

"What's up with that lately, anyway?"

"Uh, well, we're doing great."

"Good."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Why'd you say it like that?"

"Like what?" MJ asked, _completely_ innocent (of course).

Peter scoffed. "Whatever."

MJ gave him a look but let it slide. "Hey," she continued, "we have to do more boxing next week."

Gwen forgotten, Peter grinned. "Um, _yes._ I'm going to kick your ass."

"Oh. Are you now? _Really?"_

"What? You want to go right now?"

"Okay. Bring it."

He smirked before grabbing the pillow closest to him and launching it at her.

She shrieked, "Oh my god!"

MJ threw popcorn at him in retaliation, which backfired when he caught a lot of the pieces in his mouth.

"Damn it," she cursed, "Screw your amazing coordination."

"Aw, you love it."

"Nope."

Peter grabbed MJ by the waist without even thinking, saying, "Admit it. I beat you, _and_ you love me and my amazing coordination."

MJ froze for a moment, just staring at him. His face was so close to hers, and his body was inches away, hovering over her on the couch.

Yikes. And... that was the sound of the progress she had made in the past few weeks flying out the window.

Just then, Betty and Ned chose to walk back into the room.

Ned told them, "Hey, you guys, we brought more—"

Peter sprung back so quickly that MJ momentarily thought he got whiplash from it.

"Uh," he choked out, "what'd you bring?"

His best friend just stared at the two of them awkwardly for a moment. He lifted up a bowl. "Popcorn...?"

Peter took a deep breath. "Right. Cool."

MJ let out a breath that she'd been holding. "Okay! Give me the popcorn," she demanded, trying to diffuse the situation.

The movie had been paused, so she picked up the remote, pressing the play button. Betty and Ned settled into their respective spots.

Although they all focused on the movie, there was tension in the air, and everyone felt it.

Then, there was a knock on the door, and they all jumped.

"Oh, shit," Peter realized, "I forgot that we ordered pizza. I got it, you guys."

As Peter got up and retrieved his wallet, Betty scooted closer to MJ. "Hey," she whispered, "What was that earlier?"

MJ shook her head. "Not now, Betty," she hissed, "It's nothing."

She could hear the door creak open, and she expected the voice of a bored pizza delivery guy.

Then, Peter's shocked voice drifted through to the couch, loud and clear: "Gwen?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, I had to work in the cliches because even though cliches can be terrible, I still love them. Also, wow, the drama is intense. How are you guys liking this? In case you guys didn't realize, by the way, all the scenes took place within a few days of each other. Anyway, I love you guys 3000. Thank you for supporting me, and I'll see you next time!  
> ~kitty22803


	19. Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is blindsided when Gwen comes to visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, you guys, thank you so much for all your positive comments on the last chapter! I loved reading your thoughts on what happened, and I'm so glad you liked it. So, this chapter is going to deal with Gwen coming back, as you've probably guessed. I hope you guys like what I do with this!  
> On with the show!

"Gwen?"

Peter stared at his girlfriend, unblinking.

She gave him a soft smile. "Hey, Peter."

"Uh, what are you—what are you doing here? I'm not hallucinating, am I?" He pinched himself.

She laughed. "No. No, you're not hallucinating. I'm here to visit Liz, actually. You know, Harvard and all. And I thought I'd stop by as a surprise!"

"Oh."

She squealed, coming forward to wrap him into a hug. Peter's hands came up to awkwardly settle on her waist, and he quickly pulled away.

"So," she continued, "how are the others?"

"They're here," he quickly told her, anxious to have someone as a buffer for whatever this was, "Come inside."

As Gwen grinned widely, practically skipping inside the apartment, Peter took a deep breath. He was in some deep shit now.

* * *

"Uh," Betty was the first to break the silence after they heard Peter, "are we just going to ignore the fact that _Gwen_ is here? And they're _talking right now?"_

Ned sighed. "I'm guessing he didn't know. He didn't sound so happy."

"Oh, yeah," Betty added, "Peter's definitely not into Gwen anymore."

"Wow, babe, way to be subtle. It's not like they're literally _one hallway over."_

"Wait," MJ interrupted, "you think Peter's not into her anymore?" (No one had to know that MJ was secretly jumping for joy because, of course, that would be mean.)

"Honey. Sweetie. Are you fucking blind?" Betty asked. "Girl, that man legit avoids her FaceTime calls like the _plague."_

MJ lifted a shoulder in acknowledgment. "I guess..."

Ned told them both, "Yeah, I think he's kind of into someone else now, too. He won't admit it, but I can guarantee that he'd get all nervous if we asked."

"Who are you guys talking about?" came Gwen's voice.

The three of them simultaneously thought, _Oh, fuck._

They turned to face her and Peter (who looked like a family member had just died).

_"Hey,_ Gwen. What's up, girl? What brings you to Cambridge? We're just talking about... Harry's new... love interest...?" Ned greeted her nervously.

"Hi, Ned. I'm here visiting Liz for the weekend. And good for Harry, I guess."

They all felt significantly lighter; she hadn't heard their conversation.

"Well," Peter said, "Gwen, do you want pizza? The delivery guy should be here soon."

"Sure," she answered, "Did you order cheese?"

"Yeah. MJ's vegetarian, remember?"

"Oh. Right."

The five of them just stood there awkwardly.

Betty cleared her throat in an attempt to break the silence. "Um, Gwen, come watch _Crazy Rich Asians_ with us."

It was like everyone let out a sigh of relief. When in doubt, a movie was always the answer, of course.

With Gwen trailing close behind, the four made their way to the couch, pushing away whatever was brewing under the surface.

* * *

"Maybe if we just ignore the problem, it'll go away," Ned thought out loud.

"Yeah, _that'll_ work. What a fucking great idea," Harry said in a monotone voice, "Why didn't we think of that before?"

MJ shushed him. "It's not like we have anything better. It's not exactly advisable for us to just go up to Peter and say, 'Hey, we know you're not into your girlfriend. You should break up with her even though she's fully committed and actually came to visit you from Stanford.'"

"She came to visit her best friend."

"Whatever! Same difference."

"Where are they, anyway?" Betty asked, walking in from Peter and Ned's kitchen and sitting down on the floor next to Ned.

"Gypsy Place," Ned informed them.

"Oh, you can thank me for that," MJ told them, "I got Peter hooked. Their entire menu is vegetarian and pescatarian, and I'm in love."

Betty continued, "You think he'll break up with her?"

Harry gave her a skeptical look, shaking his head. "Nah. He's not going to."

MJ turned toward him, raising an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Listen. I know Peter and I haven't been friends since elementary school, but I _know_ him. First of all, he's scared of confrontation. Also, he's too nice to break up with anyone. No matter how bad that relationship is, I can guarantee you that he would never be the one to break up."

Ned confirmed the statement with a nod. "I remember when he was dating Felicia. He borderline hated her, but he never did anything about it."

Betty grimaced. "Yikes."

MJ shrugged. "You know what? He's going to be fine."

"Is he, though?" Betty asked her, pursing her lips.

"Shut up. Be a supportive friend."

* * *

"Okay, this is _so_ good," Gwen told Peter with her mouth full.

"I _know,"_ he replied, "It's amazing, right?"

"Yeah, thank _god_ for MJ's amazing taste."

Peter flinched a little. He'd forgotten about her. "Right. Yeah."

"So, Peter," Gwen started, reaching across the table to grab his hand, "I'm glad I got to see you before I left. And everyone else, of course. I missed you guys."

"Yeah, I missed you, too." He rubbed his thumb across her knuckles, leaning forward to peck Gwen on the lips. "How about you hang out with us for the rest of the day? Before your flight? You can even bring Liz."

"Aw, yeah, I'd love to see everyone before I left. Liz can't come, though; Harvard is really kicking her ass."

"Aw, that's rough."

"Yeah."

"...Okay, uh, do you want to get out of here?"

"Okay."

"Okay! Great! We'll do some fun stuff."

Luckily, their waiter came over to pick up their plates, and he handed them the bill. (After a brief tug-of-war over who would pay, Peter put his debit card on the table and accepted a Venmo payment from Gwen. He insisted that she only give him one-third of the bill.)

After successfully leaving the restaurant, Peter grabbed Gwen's hand, pulling her along. "Come on! We have a shit-ton of stuff to do, and you have to leave in, like, five hours."

Gwen giggled. "Okay, okay! I'm coming!"

And for a moment, Peter didn't even think about anything—or anyone—else.

* * *

Of course, their little bubble burst as soon as they walked into Peter's apartment.

All his friends (plus Harry) were gathered in the living room, whispering secretively.

Ned bolted up when he spotted his best friend. "Peter's here!" he announced loudly.

Everyone stopped talking at once, and Peter felt all their eyes travel to Gwen.

_Wow, so subtle,_ he thought.

He cleared his throat. "Hey, guys. Gwen's leaving soon, so I thought it would be fun to do something exciting before she went to the airport." (He didn't notice the knowing glances that they all exchanged.)

Gwen waved awkwardly. "I hope you guys are okay with that. Hi, Harry. How's your love interest?"

Harry blinked. "My _what,_ now?"

MJ stomped on his foot, and he yelped. "You know, your _love interest,_ Harry. _Remember?"_

"Oh! Right, yeah. _That_ love interest. I have... several, so I was, uh, _confused."_

He glared at MJ, silently saying, _You better be happy that I have your back._

Peter squinted at the four of them, trying to figure out what was off. Ned exclusively avoided his eyes, staring down the carpet like it'd committed a crime. Something was definitely up. Even MJ, who was generally confident and had no problems with confrontation, wouldn't look him in the face. Peter filed away this information for later.

He tried to steer the conversation away from Harry's supposed relationship problems. "Anyway, what, uh... what do you want to do, Gwen?"

Gwen turned toward him. "Oh, I was thinking—"

As her voice faded out into the background, Peter watched MJ as she shuffled nervously on her feet. He saw the little crinkle she always gets between her eyebrows when she's stressed.

What was going on?

* * *

"I can't believe he didn't break up with her," Betty said, "It's clearly not working anymore. At least, not when she's _there."_

MJ shrugged. "It's his decision, I guess. We can't do anything about it."

Speaking of the devil, Peter walked into the kitchen. "Hey," he said to MJ, "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

She tilted her head, curious. "Uh, sure."

He took her hand, leading her into his room. (Betty and Ned looked at each other, and Harry rolled his eyes.)

Once Peter closed his door, he turned around to face her. "What's going on with you guys?"

"What?"

"Don't bullshit me. You're all acting so strange. Even _Harry_ was being weird. What's up?"

"Nothing! We're just... still surprised that Gwen's here." Well, it wasn't exactly a lie.

He gave her a skeptical glance. "Right... I don't believe that. There's something wrong."

"Peter—"

The bathroom door connected to both Peter's and Ned's rooms clicked, and Gwen stepped out. "Uh, is everything okay?"

Oh, shit.

"Gwen!" MJ squeaked. "Everything's _fine,"_ she said pointedly, shooting a look toward Peter.

"Actually, uh, Gwen, can you give us a minute?"

Gwen took a step back. "Oh. Okay." She gave them a tight smile before heading out of his room.

MJ let out a deep breath, tilting her head back to look at the ceiling. "Peter, nothing's happening. Calm down."

"Hey. I _know_ you. You know, you still have that little crinkle in your forehead. The one that you get when you're stressed. Right there." He came closer, pointing to the spot between her eyebrows.

"I don't have a crinkle."

"Oh, you _definitely_ have a crinkle." He smiled at her. "Come on, MJ. What's bothering you?"

She inhaled as he stepped even closer to her. "Um, I—I can't. At least... not now. But I promise we can tell you everything. _Soon._ Just—it's not anything life-threatening if that's what you're worried about."

He let out a short laugh. "Okay. You know I love you guys, right? Except for Harry. But you can tell me anything."

MJ nodded, squeezing his hand, but she thought to herself, _I don't think you'd want to hear this one, buddy._

* * *

Gwen really didn't mean to listen to the rest of MJ and Peter's conversation. But she'd been really concerned. Her head automatically listed twenty diseases, and in case it was a legal issue, she was getting prepared to call both her dad and Liz.

But Gwen was nowhere near prepared to see her boyfriend be in love with another girl.

_Hey,_ she texted Liz, _can I call you?_

A little bubble with three dots appeared, and there was a reply almost instantly. _Yeah! I'm taking a break from studying, anyway._

Gwen went to Liz's contact info, pressing the call button. She put the phone up to her ear, and it rang loudly, jarring her a little.

"Hey," Liz greeted her, "What's up?"

"I think Peter's in love with MJ," Gwen blurted out.

_"What?"_

"You heard me."

"I know! Just—how do you know?"

"Well... I didn't mean to, but I heard them talking. And, uh, I can just tell. It's different from before. He knew that something was wrong with her just by looking at her fucking forehead, Liz."

"Oh, shit. Are you okay? I can beat him up for you."

"No! Don't do that!"

"Why not?"

"It's not his fault! Look, _I'm_ the one who left. We _knew_ long distance would be tough, and I just pretended like we _weren't_ miles and miles away from each other. And now..."

_"Shit,_ Gwen. What are you going to do?"

She exhaled, blinking back tears. "...I don't know."

* * *

Peter walked Gwen outside the apartment.

"So," he began, "it was good seeing you."

She looked down at her feet. "Yeah. It was nice seeing you, too, Peter."

He leaned in to kiss her, but she stopped him by putting a hand on his chest.

"Peter... I can't do this anymore."

"What?"

Her eyes brimmed with tears, and Peter stared in confusion.

"You know, I didn't mean to, but I heard you and MJ talking. And Peter, I can't stop you from loving someone else. I understand that long-distance is hard, and I don't want to... hold you down."

"Gwen, what are you talking about?"

"You know you're in love with MJ, right?"

"Since when?"

"Since pretty much always. That's why I'm breaking up with you."

"Gwen—"

"I'm sorry, Peter. Take care, okay? I'll, uh, text you when I get home."

Peter nodded with a blank expression. "Um, okay."

She gave him a soft smile. "Don't be a stranger, Peter."

"Yeah. Uh, you, too."

She waved before walking down the hallway, and Peter just stood there.

* * *

"And she just broke up with you?" Ned cried, "Why?"

"I don't know, Ned," Peter said (like a liar).

"That's okay, Peter," Betty reassured him, "You don't need a man or woman."

"I know. It just... hurt."

MJ rubbed his back comfortingly. "It's okay, Peter."

They all didn't think it was a good time to bring up their past conversations.

* * *

Harry walked into Peter's room, and he looked up from his desk.

"Hey," Harry said.

Peter's jaw tensed. "What's up?"

"I don't know. Maybe you'd like to tell me why Gwen actually broke up with you."

"What do you mean?"

"What? You can't seriously believe that I think you don't know. You're just not telling the others."

"...Harry, why are you here?"

"Because, despite belief, I'm actually friends with Ned, and this is his place, too. Now, they're all worried that you're moping in here instead of watching the movie, so go ahead and enlighten me with whatever drama's going on in your life."

Peter didn't say anything.

Harry quirked an eyebrow. "So?"

"...She, uh, thinks I'm in love with... MJ."

"Huh. _Really?"_

"I'm not," Peter said _too_ quickly.

"Uh-huh."

"I'm not! We're best friends."

"Yep, and we have a good relationship."

"Shut up."

"Alright, Peter. Maybe one day, you'll stop lying to yourself."

Harry left the room, gently closing the door behind him.

Peter's eyes lingered on the spot where he was, and his stomach turned. Harry wasn't right. He _couldn't_ be right.

He took a deep breath before getting up out of his chair.

Everything was fine.

* * *

Everyone had left, and just MJ and Peter remained on the couch. (Ned had gone back to MJ and Betty's apartment for a bit.)

"Peter?" MJ whispered.

He glanced at her. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"...I'm fine."

"You know, I don't know why Gwen would break up with you."

He slipped his fingers in between hers, squeezing her hand. "Thanks, MJ, but you don't have to do that."

"You're my best friend. And even if we weren't as close, I still would. You're a _saint,_ Peter Parker."

"That's the sleep deprivation talking."

She laughed. "Well, just don't advertise it to anyone. I'm trying to maintain a reputation here."

Peter smirked. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

They looked at one another, and MJ felt the butterflies in her stomach flapping up a storm.

She cleared her throat. "Um, I should, uh, get going."

Peter pulled back a little. "Right. Yeah, uh, goodnight. I'll see you tomorrow."

She nodded slowly, a little confused. "Uh-huh..."

"Morning run?"

"Oh! Right!" She laughed nervously, tucking her hair behind her ear. She scrambled to get off the couch. "So, uh, I'd better get back. Maybe we can run a little later today. It's almost five anyway, so we'd get, like, two hours of sleep."

"Yeah. That's not—that's not healthy."

"Uh-huh. Yep. Yeah. Okay, bye."

She gave him a shy smile before rushing away and outside the door.

Once she'd made it back to the safety of her room, she collapsed onto the bed.

_Wow,_ she was a goner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it finally happened. I know you guys have been waiting for this breakup forever, and I hope I wrote it well! Also, the "Gypsy Place" that is mentioned is a real place just a few minutes away from MIT (its full name is Gypsy Place Coffee), and their menu is truly all vegetarian and pescatarian! I've been a vegetarian my whole life, and MJ definitely seems like a vegetarian to me, so I feel like the place would speak to her. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this! Until next time...  
> ~kitty22803


	20. It's Not Love (Yet)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter thinks about what Gwen said to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm sure you guys are still freaking out because of the last chapter. Things are finally happening! I'm so sorry that I couldn't update before now, but school has been an absolute nightmare. I also got into a car accident pretty recently, and while I'm okay, I've had some minor affects from the whiplash (airbags apparently cause that). I'm totally okay, so please don't worry; it just delayed the chapter release a little, so I'm sorry about that! Anyway, I hope you guys like what comes next! This takes place in early October, by the way.  
> On with the show!

"Oh my god, you _like_ her," Ned crooned.

Peter flushed. "Um, no, I don't. I regret telling you about this."

Peter was finally telling his best friend about his conversation with Harry a few weeks ago.

"Uh, capping," Betty interrupted.

Unfortunately, this meant that Peter's other best friend—also Ned's girlfriend—had joined the conversation because Ned was _whipped._

"Shut up, guys. I don't like MJ. This isn't fifth grade."

"You're right," Ned admitted before adding, "This is college, and we've come to the part where you both admit your feelings and then have mind-blowing sex."

"Um, _no._ This is where we move on from this topic."

"Peter, my boy," Betty said, "for everyone's sake, please open your eyes."

"I'm not talking to you guys about this."

"She _does_ like you. And you do, too," Ned insisted.

Peter slammed his hands over his ears like a petulant child. "Nope. Absolutely not. I'm not listening to your bullshit!"

* * *

MJ groaned, "If I hear one more word about your couple's costume ideas, I'm going to strangle you and then throw myself off of this fucking building."

Betty pouted. "Jesus. Okay." A sly grin then broke out on her face. "How about a couple's costume for you?"

MJ rolled her eyes. "Who'd wear it with me? My showerhead? Don't forget; that's the only action _I've_ been getting."

"Ew."

"Shut up. We all do it."

"Anyway... I was thinking Peter."

"Huh?"

"For the couple's costume! You and Peter."

MJ stared at her best friend for a moment. "Uh, why?"

"Well, you two like each other, so—"

"That's a lie."

"Well, I mean, it's obvious."

"Um, no, it's not."

"Yeah, it is."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"No."

"Yes. Fuck! Betty!"

Betty cackled. "See? You agree with me."

"No, I don't!"

MJ reached out to smack Betty, but her best friend escaped out of her reach.

"Bitch, get back here!"

* * *

Betty paced around Ned's room. It had been a couple hours since Peter left for a class.

"Oh my god, Ned," she said, "we have to get them together."

Ned told her, "I know. But they're both so fucking stubborn."

"Alright, babe, we have to make one of my infamous ten-step plans."

"Oh, dear god."

* * *

MJ waltzed into Peter's room like she owned the place.

He looked up, eyes wide.

"Uh. Hey, MJ!" he squeaked, "What's, uh... what's poppin'... girl?"

She gave him a look of disgust. "Um, what the fuck was that?"

Peter shook his head. "Sorry. That was—that was weird."

"Uh-huh."

He took a deep breath. _Jesus, dude,_ he told himself, _keep it together. She's just a friend. Just like you said to Ned and Betty._

"Why are you here?" ...Okay, that was probably the wrong thing to say based on MJ's reaction.

"Do I need a reason?"

"Uh. No! No, no, no, of course not. Just... wondering." Peter awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Okay, you're being really weird today. I'm going to go, yeah?"

"Uh..."

MJ looked him up and down. "Maybe recalibrate that brain of yours. Just a suggestion."

She walked out, lifting her hand up lazily in farewell.

 _Wow, Peter,_ Peter mentally berated himself, _Way to go._

* * *

"Hey," MJ greeted Betty as she walked into their apartment, "have you noticed that Peter's being really weird today?"

Betty grinned almost evilly. "Probably because he _likes_ you."

MJ sighed heavily, closing her eyes. "Jesus, Betty. I swear you're actually five."

Ned chose that moment to enter. "What'd she do now?"

MJ rolled her eyes. "Can you both leave me alone about the whole Peter thing? He doesn't like me!"

He raised his hands in defense. "Hey, I didn't say anything just now."

Betty scoffed. "MJ, stop overreacting and admit it. You two have _feelings._ Just tell him already, girl. I'm tired of your shit."

MJ massaged her temples. "I'm ignoring you guys."

"No, you're not. Move over; I want cereal." Betty pushed MJ's chair farther away and sat in the other breakfast chair, reaching up to grab the cereal.

"Betty, it's legit nine o'clock at night."

"Don't judge me, bitch."

* * *

Peter's phone rang, and he jolted up from his spot on the couch.

 _Gwen Stacy_ , the caller ID read. Peter's face contorted for a moment, but he quickly reached for his phone.

He grabbed it, sliding his thumb across the screen to answer.

"Gwen?" he answered.

"Hey, Peter."

"Uh, hi."

They hadn't spoken since Gwen had gone back to Stanford.

Peter cleared his throat. "So... why, uh, why are you calling? I mean—it's always nice to hear from a friend. It's just—I thought we were giving it some space."

"Oh, uh... I just realized my favorite sweater is still at your place."

"Ah. Got it."

There was a slight pause, and Peter felt the urge to hang up. That would be mean, though.

"I can... mail it? I guess."

"Sure. Or just give it to Liz. She's—"

"You were right," Peter blurted out.

 _Whoa, whoa, whoa,_ Peter thought, _That was not supposed to happen._

"I'm right about a lot of things."

"...About MJ." It turned out that Peter had absolutely _no_ filter when it came to ex-girlfriends. He'd unpack _that_ later. "Wow, I've never said that out loud."

Gwen let out a huff of laughter. "Uh-huh. Glad you've had some moments of self-discovery, Peter."

"I'm sorry."

"...It's okay. Some things are just not meant to last."

"How are you not more upset about this? Like, I feel like you should say, 'Fuck you, Peter, and the sex wasn't even that good,' and move on, but alright. I mean—the sex was _great_. I just—possibly for you—"

"Peter, please stop."

"Sorry."

She then laughed a little. "You know, you're too good for this world. _Even_ if you love someone else. You literally just gave me permission to shit all over you."

"Sorry."

"If you apologize one more time, I will literally fly there and slap you."

"I'm—I mean—you know what, I'm just going to... stop."

"That's a good idea." He heard her sigh. "Thanks for telling me, Peter."

"Yeah. We're always friends, remember?"

"Of course. Bye, Peter, I have to head out. And give me back my sweater."

Peter laughed. "Yes, ma'am."

* * *

"Wow. Okay, so Gwen is now my most favorite person in the whole world," Ned declared dramatically.

"Ned. Shut the fuck up," Peter groaned.

"I refuse to take it back! She _finally_ got through to you."

Harry suddenly appeared. "I'm excited about this."

Peter gave him a weird look. "Why are you—why is everyone just up in my shit?"

Betty smirked. "The ship must sail."

"Leave."

"Nope! You're stuck with us, Peter."

"Ugh, I need a break from you idiots."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I really did that to you. How was it? Peter was clearly in major denial, _especially_ in the beginning. What can I say? Peter Parker is the epitome of "peak dumbass". Anyway, I hope you guys liked it! Also, before I forget, any of you non-Gen Z people out there, "capping" basically means lying. That's why "no cap" means _not_ lying. Sorry, but I say it all the time and felt like Betty would say it, too. Anyway, make sure to leave a comment, and I'll see you next time!  
> ~kitty22803


	21. Uncertainty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After his revelation, Peter contemplates his relationship with MJ.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, my people, and happy (very late) new year! I can't believe that yet another decade is over. I'm really sorry that I couldn't update until now, but I've been pretty busy with school and everything. Anyway, I can't wait to share this next chapter with you guys. It takes place a couple days after the previous chapter.  
> On with the show!

Truffle cautiously stepped into Peter's lap. She then deemed it safe and curled up, cuddling up to him.

MJ protested, "Damn it. Why does she like you more?"

Peter stuck his tongue out at her. "What can I say? Truffle knows what's up."

Betty came in from the kitchen. "Alright, you two, _please_ stop flirting for just _one_ minute."

MJ glared at her best friend. "We're not—that's not—shut up, Betty."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Betty rolled her eyes.

Before MJ could strangle Betty, Ned threw the front door open. "Guys, I want to drop out."

"Join the party," Peter groaned.

"None of the professors are good at their jobs, and it is _painfully_ obvious," Ned complained, "I would rather jump off a bridge than listen to them drone on and on."

"Aw, babe," Betty comforted her boyfriend, "it's going to be okay. Graduation's getting closer and closer. It's already our junior year!"

Ned let out a loud sigh. "I know. Sometimes, if I look hard enough at my homework, I can see my diploma." To demonstrate, he held up a sheet of paper, staring wistfully at it.

Peter blinked. "...Dude. That's lined paper."

"Shut up, Peter. No one asked for your opinion."

Betty interrupted, "Okay! Ned, how about we take your year-early-senioritis into my place, yeah?"

Ned grumbled but ended up getting up along with her, following her through the door.

Once they'd shut the door behind them, Peter turned to MJ. "You up for some stupid rom-com?"

MJ grinned. "Hell, yes. The first one to the remote gets the first pick."

"I'm beating your ass, Jones."

"You wish, Parker."

* * *

Unfortunately for Peter, MJ had shoved him out of the way, grabbing at the remote before he could even move.

And that's how Peter got stuck watching a random rom-com with Anna Faris and Chris Evans—and _no,_ he did not know the movie's name. Really, he was just surprised that Michelle Jones, of all people, had selected it. ("What?" MJ defended herself, "He's hot. Let a girl live. Damn.")

As Anna Faris was riding a pizza guy's bike across town (don't even ask), he glanced over at MJ. She... she was...

Peter shook his head. Nope. Absolutely not.

It was as if MJ _sensed_ his gaze, and her eyes flitted over to him. Her eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Um. Nothing. Just spaced out."

She nodded understandingly and turned away from him. After a second, she faced him again. "Want some of the leftovers in the fridge?"

"...Sure?"

"Okay, one second."

She paused the movie, getting off the couch as she did so. As she made her way over to the kitchen, Peter stared at her. He squeezed his eyes shut. Fuck.

A few moments later, she tapped him on the shoulder, settling back in next to him. "Here. It's vegetarian lo mein."

"Solid. Why is your food in my fridge, though?"

She shrugged.

The movie started playing again, but Peter couldn't seem to keep his off MJ.

Then, her hand came into focus, and she snapped her fingers in his face. "Hey. You paying attention? This is a modern Shakespearean tale you're watching here." She gestured to the scene picturing Anna Faris professing her undying love or whatever to Chris Evans.

He rolled his eyes and scoffed. "You're delusional."

"Hey. Watch my movie, asshole."

He stuck his tongue out at her but turned around in his spot, trying to focus on the screen.

* * *

It was about two in the morning when MJ and Peter finally finished their third rom-com.

She had already drifted off when Peter shook her shoulder.

"Hey," he whispered, "the movie's over, MJ."

MJ let out a groan of discomfort before cracking open her eyes. Peter stood over her, his face dangerously close to hers. She swallowed and pushed herself slightly away from him. "Uh, yeah. Okay, let me get my stuff, and I'll go."

"No! I mean—Betty never got back. Just stay in Ned's room tonight." He chewed on his lip.

"Oh. Okay."

"Okay."

There was an awkward silence before MJ put her hand on his chest— _so_ defined, not that she noticed or cared—pushing him away so she could get up. She patted his shoulder hesitantly in thanks. "Um, you have any... uh, clothes? To sleep in, I mean."

Peter choked. (Huh. Weird.) "Uh. Uh-huh. Yep. I'll... be right back."

As she waited, she played with the hem of her thin sweater, not knowing what to do with her hands.

A pair of sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt flew at her face. Peter stood a couple feet away. "Oops."

MJ rolled her eyes, but the corner of her mouth turned up. "Thanks, loser. I'm sleeping. I'm tired as fuck." She turned away without waiting for a response.

As she walked toward Ned's room, MJ reached for the hem of her sweater, pulling it over her head in a swift motion. She threw it on the floor as she walked into the room, and she quickly pulled on Peter's t-shirt. She peeled off her tight jeans and threw on the loose sweatpants.

She practically collapsed into the bed, closing her eyes.

Peter poked his head into the room. "'Night, MJ."

She just hummed. "Love you," she mumbled.

Before Peter even closed the door, MJ was out like a light.

* * *

Peter lay awake in bed for more than an hour after MJ had gone to sleep.

Had she known? Had she known he had seen her cute, purple, polka-dotted bra when she whipped her shirt off without care? Of course, there was a lot more to admire about that woman; he wasn't objectifying her. (At least... he thought. Maybe he'd ask her once he'd gotten over himself. Education was essential.)

But at that moment, nothing else had occupied his mind.

"Damn it, Peter," he'd muttered to himself, "only you."

And now, at about eight in the morning, as MJ dragged herself out of Ned's room, Peter didn't know what to do with himself.

MJ smoothed out her hair and rubbed her eyes. "Hey."

Peter straightened up in his chair. "Hey, yourself. You sleep well?"

"Yeah. Thanks for letting me stay over."

"Always."

She plucked his (vegetarian) breakfast burrito from his hands, taking a big bite.

"Hey! That was mine!"

"I _bought_ it for you."

"...Okay, fine."

Just as Peter was about to say something else, the door bust open.

Ned beamed. "Peter! MJ! Betty's coming in a second."

Peter felt disappointed, but he pushed the emotion away. "Oh. Good."

Betty appeared in the doorway as well, and the two stepped into the apartment. "Hey, MJ. Sorry for kind of kicking you out last night."

"Nah, it's okay." MJ directed toward Ned, "Your room is _so_ much neater than Peter's."

"Hey!" Peter protested, "That's not true."

His friends grimaced.

"Okay, stop that." He flipped everyone off.

Ned shrugged before sinking down into a chair. "So, what are we doing for the weekend?"

* * *

Ned and Betty giggled as they stumbled inside Ned and Peter's apartment, gripping each other's hands. They were incredibly drunk, as most college kids were on the weekends.

Peter and MJ just shook their heads fondly before going inside MJ and Betty's place.

The digital clock on the kitchen counter read, _11:00._

"Wow," MJ said as she kicked off a pair of flats, "I'm so tired. Hold on. I'll be right back."

Peter stood in the kitchen, waiting for her to come out of her room.

"Okay," he heard her voice ring out as she walked out through the hallway. "I'm done."

He sucked in an almost-inaudible breath: there she was in his t-shirt and sweatpants from the day before. "Uh..."

"You want cereal? I'm feeling late-night Lucky Charms right now."

"Um..."

"You good? You look... upset." She stepped closer, and Peter could almost feel her breath on him.

"I, uh..." He cleared his throat. "I am."

"Yeah? And why is that?" MJ's voice had reduced to a whisper. She stepped so close that Peter felt her body heat radiating off of her.

"That's my shirt. And my pants, too. You can't just steal all my clothes."

"Yeah? What are you going to do about it?"

They just stared at each other for a moment, the sound of their breathing filling the room.

Peter didn't know who moved first, but next thing he knew, he surged forward to slam his lips against hers. Her hands came up to wrap around his neck, and Peter brought his hands up to cup her face. He practically tore off her (his) shirt, tossing it carelessly on the floor before meeting her lips again.

Then, MJ pulled away for a moment. "Are you drunk?"

He shook his head. "You know those two are too crazy when they drink."

She nodded in agreement.

"Are you?"

MJ replied, "No."

After a moment, Peter pulled her close, pressing his lips to her again. "God, why didn't we do this before?" he mumbled against her lips.

MJ ignored his question, walking backward and pulling him along with her. "Shut up and kiss me."

"Yes, ma'am."

Finally, they stumbled into her room, and she pushed Peter inside. "You tell anyone about this, and I'll kill you," she halfheartedly threatened as she backed him up until he was forced to sit on her bed.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

"Stop talking."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how'd you guys like this chapter? It finally happened! Make sure to comment anything you liked about it (or didn't—I'm open to criticism). Oh, and before I go: that rom-com with Anna Faris and Chris Evans is _What's Your Number?_ and is strange but funny as hell. It's not half-bad, though! Anyway, I love you guys!  
> ~kitty22803


	22. The Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter and MJ deal with what happened over the weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... how're you guys feeling? I know that I kind of slapped you in the face (in a good way?) with that last chapter. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to update before, but now that we’re all in quarantine (or “social distancing”) I figured it was the perfect time to write again. Also, it’s my birthday, and it’s kind of become a tradition to post whenever that comes around. Anyway, we're getting close to the end, my people! I hope you enjoy this chapter, and have fun reading!  
> On with the show!

MJ was stress-drawing.

"You know," she said to no one in particular, "it's kind of ironic that I'm drawing while I'm in crisis. I used to draw other people in crisis, and look at how the tables have turned. Ha."

Ned gave her a strange look. "Hey, you good?"

"Betty answered for her, "No." She added in a stage-whisper, "She hasn't done this since after the fiasco. You know the one."

Ned gasped. "Whoa. That's big."

"I'm fine," MJ squeaked, "Totally fine!" She tried to smile at them but ended up grimacing. "You know what they say: panicking burns a shit-ton of calories."

Betty made a face. "Honey, who even says that?"

"Me. Just now."

Harry waved the other two off. "She's fine. Our professor's tests are apparently horrible, and she's stressed."

Betty and Ned still seemed skeptical, but they just shrugged before heading out of the apartment and into Peter and Ned's place.

MJ sighed in relief, placing her head in her arms. Unfortunately, she didn't get more than a moment of rest.

"Alright, spill. What happened?" Harry asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't even try. I know something's up."

"No!"

"Yes."

_"No."_

_"Yes._ MJ, stop being a child."

"Fine!" She didn't say anything, choosing to instead glare at her doodle of an angry poodle (she liked poodles—don't judge) with a vengeance.

"I'm waiting."

"...I slept with Peter," she blurted out.

"I'm sorry; _what?"_

"I didn't mean for it to happen! Oh my fucking _god_ _,_ Harry, I'm panicking."

"He took a deep breath. "Okay. Wow. When I thought something was wrong, I didn't think it would be _this._ You're fucking screwed." He paused for a moment before grinning. "Ha. Literally."

"Oh my god, _why_ do I even bother?"

* * *

Peter looked up as MJ set down a slice of cheese pizza in front of him. He attempted to smile but instead grimaced almost painfully.

Ned and Betty sat down on the floor as the opening credits of _10 Things I Hate About You_ played, setting the pizza box down next to them.

"Dude," Ned talked through a mouthful of pizza, "this movie is the shit."

Peter swallowed as MJ shifted slightly closer to him. "Uh... yeah. It's really awesome."

Betty went on to ramble about how pretty Julia Stiles was, but Peter tuned her out, trying his best not to look at MJ.

He lasted for about five minutes.

"We need to talk," he whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

She glanced over at him, raising an eyebrow. "About what, exactly?"

"You _know_ what."

She sighed. "Okay. We can talk. But _after_ the movie. I don't want to talk about it in front of Betty and Ned."

"Fine."

"Fine."

Peter turned his attention toward the screen, grinding his teeth and pretending like the girl sitting next to him didn't exist.

* * *

"Bye, Ned," Betty cooed sweetly, kissing her boyfriend. She turned toward MJ. "Hey, you coming?"

MJ blinked. "Um. Yes, I am. Uh... I gotta get some..." She looked at Peter helplessly.

"Notes," Peter blurted out, "She needs some notes."

Ned furrowed his eyebrows. "Dude. MJ's _so_ much better at note-taking than you."

 _"Hey._ That's not true."

MJ came to the rescue. "I got really sleep-deprived last week, so I accidentally fell asleep. I'm taking whatever I can get." She forced a laugh.

"Alright, well, I'll probably be asleep," Betty said. She blew a kiss to Ned before closing the door behind her.

Ned let out a loud sigh. "Okay, man. I'm heading to bed. See you tomorrow?" he asked Peter.

"Yeah, dude. See you."

As soon as Ned had found his way inside his room, Peter audibly sighed with relief, turning to face MJ. "Okay. Ned could sleep through a fucking tornado, as you know, so we're good."

MJ nodded, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. "Uh-huh."

"...Listen, last night was... fun. But I don't—I don't think we should do it again." Peter fidgeted, rocking back and forth on his feet.

"Yeah. Of course. Friends first, right?"

"Yep. Always." He didn't know what else to say. "I'm... glad that there are no hard feelings."

"No, never." MJ awkwardly cleared her throat. "Um, I'm going to go. See you later?"

"Sure. I'll walk you out."

Peter followed close behind her, and he reached for the door handle, pulling it open.

MJ turned around to say something, and Peter found himself uncomfortably close to her. He swallowed, his heart hammering against his rib cage.

She looked into his eyes, and for a moment, the room was completely silent apart from their breathing.

MJ then crashed her lips into his, and she pushed him back into the apartment. Peter nearly slammed the door but then remembered Ned at the last moment, stopping the door right before it closed.

"Fuck," MJ mumbled as she reached to unbuckle his pants, "This is the last time."

"Last time."

* * *

MJ sighed as Peter came back from the bathroom, slipping back under the covers.

She giggled. "I cannot believe this. This is so fucking _stupid."_

Peter propped himself up. "What, the sex? I thought you were pretty into it."

She scowled. "Shut up. And that's not what I meant. Why didn't we do this earlier? You know, we could do things like that movie. What is it? _Friends With Benefits._ "

Peter snorted. "The one with Justin Timberlake that Betty made us watch? You know that they _completely_ fail at that, right?"

"We're different. To begin with, you don't even compare to JT. I can see how Mila Kunis could fall in love with him."

"True, but _ouch."_

"I'm serious, though. Could some casual sex really be that bad?"

"...No, I guess not. We can't tell Ned and Betty, though. They'd freak the fuck out."

"Oh, yeah, they can _never_ know."

"We keeping it breezy, Jones?"

"You say 'breezy' again, and I'll withhold sex forever."

"Oh, you're going to punish me?" He teased, moving so that he was over her.

"Ew, stop." MJ leaned up slightly to kiss him, pulling him close. "Just... do that... _thing_ again."

"Yes, ma'am."

Peter drew her into another deep kiss before she pulled away.

"And _god,_ please _do not_ call me 'ma'am.'"

He couldn't stop laughing for the next ten minutes.

* * *

"I'm sorry; _why_ did you decide that _continuing_ to sleep with Peter was a good idea?" Harry questioned.

MJ shot him a look. "Shut up. It's going to be fine. _Great,_ in fact."

Before Harry could say anything, the door burst open. It was Peter coming back from class. "God, my professor is the fucking worst. Sometimes, I'd like to strangle that man."

MJ wrinkled her nose. "Aw. If you want... I could make you feel better." She smirked.

Harry gagged. "Ugh, woman, _please,_ not while I'm here."

Peter spun around with a terrified expression. "Um. She's joking."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Relax, I already know. You can continue your little love fest; I won't tell anyone."

Peter gaped at MJ. "Seriously? What the hell?"

"I'm sorry! It just came out," MJ insisted. She turned to Harry. "Also, not a love fest."

"Yeah, whatever." He got up from his spot on the floor. "I'm getting out of here before you two go at it."

Peter stammered, "We—we are not _going_ at it."

"Okay, lover boy. Bye! Have fun!" Harry called over his shoulder in an overly sweet, teasing way.

He grinned when he heard Peter: "I _hate_ him."

MJ's eye roll could practically be heard through the wall. "Oh, shut up and kiss me."

"Fuck. Okay."

Harry shook his head. That was _definitely_ going to end up being a disaster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was it? I hope you guys liked this chapter! Also, in case you guys were confused as to why I haven't shown the artist side of MJ until now, here's a quote from _The Office_ from the character Oscar that'll sum it up quite nicely: "But, seriously, you made a nine-year documentary and you couldn't once show me doing my origami." In short, I forgot. Sorry! Anyway, I decided to put it in because it's just been happening "off-screen" this whole time. I'll try to update as soon as possible, and stay safe out there! I know social distancing sucks, but we’ll all get through this. Until next time...  
> ~kitty22803


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